Only Half
by Moki Hunter
Summary: Taking place a short while after "D-stabalized", Valerie is set on capturing Vlad Plasmius, whose identity she has recently learned. To counter, Vlad reveals the ghost boy's secret, putting Danny at serious risk of dying - permanently.
1. Coordinates

Valerie's eyes flew open the moment an irritating beep began resounding through her bedroom. It was not, however, the sound of an alarm clock and the promise of school that was making her so anxious. The beeping was actually coming from her wristwatch, a ghost detection device. She had recently given up hunting her favorite ghost boy, Danny Phantom, in exchange for Vlad Masters. He was _supposed _to be the mayor of Amity Park, but his true colors had bled through horrifically when the ghost hunter learned of his true identity: Vlad Plasmius.

After witnessing him torture a young girl, Dani Phantom, she had sworn to add Plasmius to the list of ghosts she hunted like dogs. Danny Phantom, who had reminded her that his cousin Dani was not just a ghost but also a girl, had tried to convince her that Masters and Plasmius were somehow the same person. What a ridiculous story! She had scoffed at it… until she learned it was true. If the ghost boy knew this much information, how much else did he know? She wondered.

Pushing the question aside, she tried to focus on her goal at the moment. Her watch had beeped because it keyed onto the new signature attached to it – Vlad Plasmius's. Whatever plans she held for the ghost boy would have to wait, because she was bent on getting revenge for Danielle. While Vlad and Danielle may have both been halfas, Vlad was as evil as any pure-blooded ghost. His human half earned no sympathy towards Valerie. Taking one last look at the locked coordinates blinking on her watch, Valerie pulled on her black and red ghost hunting suit, grabbed her ecto-gun, climbed out the window, and sped off in the air on her glider.


	2. Revelation

Far from being concerned – or even informed – of his dilemma with Valerie Grey, Vlad was busy with a new agenda; deep in the Ghost Zone, Plasmius was floating along the boundaries of the Ghost King's fortress. His piercing red eyes were searching the outside of the relatively small castle, looking for someone whom he had previously made an alliance with. Granted, it was a while ago when this had happened, but their agreement had not vanished. Vlad flashed a broad, fang-toothed grin as he noticed a black armored shape barreling towards him.

"Why are you here?" called the unmistakable voice of the Fright Knight.

"Does it matter?" Plasmius answered smoothly. "You promised to deliver me a favor and I'm here to make sure it's collected." A smug smile crept upon the corners of his lips.

The Fright Knight looked quite dismayed at this information. "That was when our glorious king had been put back to rest…"

Vlad nodded, as if the Fright Knight was some sort of kindergartener, finally understanding such a simple concept in adult terms. "Yes, very good. Now, do we have a deal or don't we?"

The Fright Knight narrowed his eyes in a strange, almost triumphant sort of gaze. "I do not owe loyalty to you. You cannot possibly defeat me."

Plasmius grinned wider, now, saying instantly, "Oh, can't I? I'm part of the reason your delicate King is snoozing, and I have come face to face with ghosts much more powerful than you."

The Fright Knight frowned in slight confusion and said very matter-of-factly, "Then why are you calling upon my services? Surely, if you have fought stronger ghosts than I, they would be more suitable, correct?"

Vlad's evil grin was not yet gone as he spoke with finality, "Oh no. I have a much more important job for you, Fright my boy."

* * *

><p>"Excellent, everything is excellent. Oh, Maddie, perhaps we'll finally see the end of Phantom and his father after all!" said Vlad Masters as he stroked his cat victoriously. With a lower, barely distinguishable tone, he added, "With the final pieces coming together, I will finally be able to mold the perfect clone… Yes, the <em>ultimate<em> weapon at my disposal! And when I finish dissecting young Daniel, he will be as good as dead. My clone shall take his place, _destroy_ his idiot father, and when all the smoke has cleared, I will have both a respectful son _and_ a beautiful wife…"

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that last part," Valerie said snidely, shooting her ecto-gun straight at Vlad Masters. She didn't feel the least bit sorry about it, either, as she finally revealed herself from deep within the shadows of the living room.

"What is the meaning of this, Valerie? What are you doing here?" he asked incredulously. "I do not remember calling you." Although he finished off casually, Valerie could tell that he was squirming – both physically and mentally – under the barriers of the ecto-goo.

Valerie did not answer at first, but rather stared at Masters with quite the triumphant glare in her eyes. When she did finally answer, it was a sort of glowering comment. "Maybe you didn't call me directly, but this did." She held up her wrist to show her wristwatch, the thing that led her here in the first place.

Vlad chose not to answer, preferring to cling to his innocence act. After all, it had worked thus far. When he realized that neither of them would budge, he said in an unmistakably coated with sugar tone, "I don't understand what you mean! There have been no ghosts around here, and certainly you can't possibly believe _I'm _a-"

Valerie was getting a bit tired of the act, and her impatience was beginning to thin. Before she knew it, she had cut Vlad Masters off, shouting in her normally high octave voice, "Save it! I know you're a ghost, and I'm not leaving here until you pay for all the vile things you've done."

Now, Vlad's entire demeanor seemed to have changed. It was as if he knew he was beaten at his own game, though he refused to put down his cards. Instead of acting all innocent and unknowing, he held a fierce glint to his eyes and a savage grin to his chin. He was no longer pretending, and before Valerie knew it, he was transforming into Vlad Plasmius before her very eyes. "I- you!" she stuttered, not expecting him to have this sort of reaction to her new found knowledge.

"I figured sooner or later that ghost brat would let you in on my little secret," said Plasmius shrugging. Some sort of red flash was emitted from his glowing red eyes as he cut himself free from the bonds of the ecto-goo. Valerie, being unheedingly headstrong, did not move from her spot in the air; she was atop her glider and currently fighting the urge to fly out of there – rocket speed. "Ecto bra- Wait, you mean the Phantom kid?"

Plasmius flashed his brilliantly white fangs as he responded, "Precisely the same." A pause ensued before he continued, slowly at first but progressively returning to normal pace. "So, what _do _you plan to do exactly? And what has little old me ever done to deserve such a fate?" Valerie could clearly hear the icy sarcasm in his voice; they hit her like spears, and she felt a kindling hatred beginning to grow larger.

"What have you- You're a ghost! There's nothing more to say! Though, let's not forget that you tortured and almost killed an innocent girl, fooled me into thinking you were some sort of hero, and, and-" She was beginning to falter, hating herself for just the slightest moment at revealing the fact she was upset at her fooling her. The pride that Valerie Grey was so stubbornly holding on to was beginning to flaw her wishes. She wanted to get out of this situation altogether now, which was showing weakness on her part. It was all she could do not to budge, and her natural instincts were all screaming _"Run!"_

Vlad was making a sort of 'tsk', 'tsk' noise, wiggling his fingers as if Valerie were lower than him. This edged Valerie off her mark. She purged out a thought without bothering to think twice about it. "I've got you cornered and you're treating this as your personal party rather than your funeral!"

"Cornered, Ms. Grey?" said Vlad with an annoyingly smug look. "I'm far from such. I'm surprised at you," he said, deflecting an impulse thrown glob of ecto-goo with ease. As if this little incident hadn't even happened, he continued almost lazily, "I would have thought that someone of your… _expertise _would know whether or not I was truly 'cornered'."

Valerie, gritting her teeth out of pure rage, answered in a forced voice, "What makes you so sure you aren't?"

Vlad shrugged, eyeing her with amusement that she was really beginning to want to wipe off his face. "You see, firstly, you are too weak to trap me. Though, that's not entirely the point, is it? Even if you were so smart as to beat me, I would still have valuable information which you would find interesting."

Valerie, unsure of what he meant by this – and of course, not willing to admit she wanted to know what type of secret he was saying he supposedly held – stayed silent. He took her silence for what it was, though, and finished off in an irritatingly complacent tone, "I am not the only one with secrets, Ms. Grey."

Finally, Valerie could not stand it. Her frustration was starting to overwhelm her, and the flight response her body had been fighting was just short of containable. "What is it? What else are you hiding?" she said, dropping her ecto-gun and instead raising the arm which contained an ecto-laser.

"Me? I am not hiding anything more that you cannot unearth… Eventually, that is." He added that last sentence in an undertone which she could only just hear. "The secret which I am referring to is that of Danny Phantom's."

At this, Valerie's anger turned into a burning curiosity. Suddenly, all of the hatred she felt towards Plasmius was ebbing away. Instead, the ever so common longing to throw the Phantom kid into oblivion was coming in its place. Eyes narrowing the way they always did when someone spoke of Danny Phantom, she said very strained, "What?"

Plasmius looked more victorious than ever. It was as if he had won the golden medal for best Villian's show right in his own living room. "Let's go through what you already know, shall we?" He shot her a wide grin as she furrowed her eyebrows in indignation. "The girl you so heroically rescued those few weeks ago, she was not fully a girl was she?"

"It doesn't matter, she was-"

"Ah, ah, ah! I don't want to provoke your temper, Valerie. I was simply pointing something out," said Vlad. "As I was saying, she was half-human, half-ghost. A halfa, if you dare call it." He rolled his eyes in disgust. "Now that you've put together the puzzle pieces, you've confronted me about being a halfa as well, though you are not quite so generous about it- No!" He said, keeping her from shouting another outburst and interrupting him again.

"You cannot possibly _believe_," he said with a pompous air about him, "that Danny and Danielle were really cousins, could you?"

"I… well- How wouldn't they?..." She trailed off, realizing how stupid she must have been to actually believe the Phantom kid when he called Dani his cousin. Now that she mulled it over, they both had the same white hair, the same sort of outfit, the same _names _for crying out loud… that sounded like something that would be going on between twin siblings, not distant cousins. And didn't Vlad say something about-?

"And didn't you wonder why Danielle was always, hm, how should I put this… _melting?_" Another pause. "As you undoubtedly heard when you so rudely barged in, " he continued as if he could not hear her sudden defense, "I was speaking of clones. Yes, you have finally put the final puzzle piece in place! Danielle was…"

Valerie's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "a clone?"

Clapping his hands in mock praise, Plasmius urged Valerie to look at the finished puzzle and figure out the rest on her own. So young Daniel had given away his secret, eh? He had warned the young ghost boy of the consequences… and how fun it would be to watch him suffer under Ms. Grey's fury and weapons! He delighted in the future to come. "Mhm… Who do you think was the original, Valerie?"

"Phantom…" she murmured instantly.

"You were so bent on saving the girl, that you failed to recognize her key features. She is a clone. You may ask 'So what'? But you're a smart girl, Ms. Grey. If Danielle was a halfa, who else had to have been so?"

"Phantom…" she murmured again, and as if it were even possible, her eyes were widening further. Valerie was so full of confusion and shock that her brain was threatening to explode under the pressure and impossibility of it all. This had to be a dream, it had to be a- but… it wasn't, was it?

"Is there anyone you know, who has a stunning resemblance to Danielle? Her human form, that is to say." Vlad's smug grin was unceasing. It was permanently glued to his face for the day remaining.

A moments passed and then… - "No, there's no way! No, it can't be! It's not possible! You're a liar!"

"Am I? Or is it just too inconceivable to accept that Danny Phantom… is truly _Danny Fenton._" Vlad Plamius's cold laughter echoed throughout the living room doors just as Valerie fell to the floor.


	3. Decision

Blinking blurrily, Valerie groaned as the sight of her shabby bedroom zoomed into focus. She managed to sit herself up, just barely keeping her balance as she shifted her weight so as to remain sideways on her mattress. She looked around in an almost dazed state, wondering for a millisecond where she was and how she got here. It occurred to her no less than a second later that she was currently in her small apartment. Her dad must have been out, because she didn't hear the buzzing of the TV's static in the nearby kitchen-living room quarters.

How did she get here, though? She distinctly remembered having been… where was she before? With a few more blinks, her eyes widened as all the memories from just hours ago flooded back to her. It almost gave her a headache to remember so many things at once, but she was too busy focusing on the vivid pictures she was now viewing in her head. She had been in Vlad Master's mansion, and he had turned into Vlad Plasmius right before her eyes… then he had been going on and on about… something… what was it? Oh! The ghost kid! Danny Phan- but… he had said that Phantom had been half human, just like Danielle. To prove it, he had even pointed out how Danielle's weakened state was a result of her being a clone. It only made sense that who she was a clone of was Danny Phantom. Everything that Plasmius told her made utter and shocking sense, as much as Valerie's heart wished to disbelieve it.

How could she let Plasmius go after that, though? But… she didn't, did she? She must have passed out. Yes, she remembered her vision fading to black shortly after hearing his piercing laughter, and what happened afterwards must have been her return home. Plasmius must have taken her home. That made sense too. What ghost in their right minds (evil as they all were) would want a ghost hunter "snoozing" in their house?

She would get to him later, Valerie promised herself. She would get Plasmius eventually if it was the last thing she did, and though she hated to admit it to herself in the future, his ploy had worked. Vlad's intent in telling her the ghost boy's secret was not just out of spite for Phantom, but also to bide his time and figure out a way to get out of Valerie's hunting zone. A sour taste formed in her mouth, though, for she was now thinking of Danny. How could he have never told her his secret? Well, he was evil, that's why! She reasoned. But… how could he feign such an innocent disposition when his ghost form was so vile?

Danielle was different. She hadn't hurt anyone even in her ghost form, as far as Valerie knew. And she was just a girl. A younger girl. Phantom, on the other hand, he was the same age as Valerie. He always claimed himself to be fighting ghosts rather than forming alliances with them, but how could she trust Fenton now that she knew he was the same as Phantom? All those times they had spent together, those moments… those special moments…

There were a number of reasons why she was going to hunt Danny first and worry about Vlad later. For one thing, the mixed emotions in her skull were threatening to overwhelm her. Although she didn't want to hurt Danny Fenton, her stubbornness to destroy all things ghost was beginning to triumph over her apparent guilt. It was true that she also wanted to hunt Plasmius, but she had had her eyes on Phantom for the longest time… she had always wanted to make him pay for everything evil he had done (though a precise crime she could not think of at the moment), yet he always seemed to disappear right under her nose. Now that she knew why, she could hunt him down like the ecto-scum he was… couldn't she?

Shaking her head in a dismayed sort of state, she noticed a small slip of white paper on her desk. Raising an eyebrow, she used her left arm to pull her body towards the table, snagging the piece of paper with her right hand. It held fancy yet legible handwriting on it, that Valerie recognized from the notes she had received along with the packages Vlad Masters had sent her full of ghost hunting equipment. It read:

_Valerie,_

_So it seems you now know my – as well as Danny Fenton's – secret. I just thought it kind to remind you that I still owe you a small gift for delivering Danielle. Before I hand it over, however, I request that if you plan on killing young Daniel, you allow me to take a DNA samples first. Oh and a word of advice? Danny Phantom is a novice when in comparison to myself. It should be wise not to go blasting your gun where it does not aim straight. _

_Sincerely, _

_Vlad Masters._

She had forgotten all about her payment for handing over Danielle! She had been so draped with fury that she had entirely missed the fact that despite her efforts to put Vlad to rest permanently, he still owed her a new house… a new home where she could finally be at peace in, where she and her Dad could live in luxury (compared to their current living conditions) for a long time to come. Damn it to hell, she growled within the confines of her mind. Now she couldn't hunt down Plasmius until he held true to his promise…

But at least she knew who she _could _hunt down. Danny Phantom. Her resolve was clear. At the moment, she cared not that he was half human. All she cared about was revenge, taking out her frustrations, and the fact that she knew who he was now. It would be impossible for him to hide.


	4. Played

_Writer's Note_: I feel so ashamed of myself, you guys. I'm terrible sorry this hasn't gotten an update, and I know this chapter is super short. Bear with me, please. I'm attempting to get to the exciting part as soon as possible! I've been juggling school work and a lot of other things and haven't had time to write much of anything that wasn't school-related. Anyways, I hope you'll forgive me. Please enjoy the chapter! (:

* * *

><p>"And it also has-"<p>

"Tucker, we heard you the first time," said Sam in a bored tone.

"But it's the best PDA on the market!" said Tucker, astonished at Sam's indifference.

Danny merely laughed; these two always seemed to be getting at something, and their bickering was actually pretty hilarious. "Look, I've got an idea," he interrupted. "How about we head on over to the Nasty Burger?" Sam and Tucker stopped to look at him for a moment and then immediately nodded.

"Sounds good to me!" said Tucker. "I'm starved!" His eyes took on a sort of glazed look as he began to think of the Nasty Burger, so delicious and heavenly. He even let a small drop of drool slip his mouth before he noticed that Sam's demeanor had suddenly become alarmed. He looked at her with a confused expression before turning to Danny, who had been to his right. "What's-" he began to ask, before looking up at the sound of a small engine, which answered his question immediately. "Valerie?" He said in a hushed and slightly panicked tone.

Indeed, Valerie was hovering no more then twenty feet above them, with one of her best ecto-laser guns trained straight on Danny. She said nothing, but she didn't have to. Sam broke the stunned silence. "Hey, Valerie, what brings you here?" Valerie didn't seem to take this statement lightly, even though Sam meant it merely to stall her, in the hopes that this was mere coincidence.

"I'm making sure that Amity Park is safe from the threat of ghost scum!" she shouted angrily. Sam, in response, raised her left eyebrow in mock confusion. Though she was playing it cool on the outside, her insides were turning to lead. As were Danny and Tucker's. "B-but, there are no ghosts around here, are there?" said Tucker in an attempt to help the situation.

"Don't play games with me. I know there's a ghost here." She narrowed her eyes in irritation. "He's hiding right under your noses… or is he?"

Sam, exchanging a meaningful look with Tucker, made up a plan. She tried to convey it in her expression without giving any confirmation as to Valerie's suspicions. Tucker nodded, seeming to understand her mindset. Although they weren't entirely sure what Valerie was referring to, the trio could only guess that she knew Danny's secret. Things never could be so simple, could they? How she found out, however, was a mystery. Just in case it was pure coincidence, though, they kept their mouths shut.

Tucker looked around, trying to make it seem as if he was looking for the ghost Valerie was speaking about. Sam made the same motion, as did Danny. "We didn't see a ghost, Valerie," said Sam. Valerie, reaching the height of her short patience fuse, burst out, "It's Fenton, you geeks! Fenton's been Phantom all along. He lied to me and to everyone else that knew him over and over again, just like any ghost scum would. And it seems as if you two were the only ones he decided to tell, and even you were influenced into not saying a thing to give him up, which makes you the dumbest of the lot!"

Sam and Tucker did a motion that they didn't even have to practice to make it in sync with each other's: they both sidestepped in order to prevent her from closing in on Danny. Sam turned minimally towards Danny to ask what they should do, but his face was so horror-stricken that she doubted any real words would escape his mouth in an answer.

"Stand aside!" Valerie commanded, though she received no movement from either of Danny's best friends. "So, we're going to play it that way, are we?" She said after two minutes of uncomfortable silence. Neither Sam nor Tucker refused to budge. This situation was getting worse. Valerie held all the weapons. The only chance they had was Danny going ghost and high-tailing it out of there, but even then, what chance did he stand against Valerie's new and improved ghost weapons? He had been able to avoid her thus far, but his last encounter when they had saved Danielle had nearly drained him.

"I thought we had a truce," he said suddenly from behind Sam and Tucker. He stepped in front of them as well, receiving a concerned gasp from Sam, and just a plain old scared one from Tucker. He turned back to them and muttered in such a low voice that he hoped only they could hear, "I'll be alright. I know what I'm doing." With this, he twisted his neck back into its rightful position, and watched Valerie with an extremely cautious eye.

"That was before I realized you had lied to me all this time," said Valerie matter-of-factly.

"Before? Didn't you always think I was a lying spectral waste?" Danny retorted truthfully.

Valerie seemed at a loss for words for almost half a minute before she found her tongue again. "It's different!" She shouted defensively. "You-you… you tricked me! And everyone else in this stupid town! You got them to believe you were some sort of hero in the end, and although I never trusted Phantom, I… I…" She trailed off, not able to divulge this information so easily. At first it had tumbled out due to her pain and feeling of betrayal, but now she just couldn't speak. It showed way too much weakness to be allowing Phantom to see her hurt.

"Valerie," Danny tried to say soothingly, hoping that she would see he didn't mean anything personally by the lies. "I had to lie. Otherwise things like _this _would have happened. Do you honestly think I would go around announcing to the world I was some sort of half ghost freak? You may not care anymore, but the Valerie I knew wouldn't have stood for allowing Danielle to be tortured on an examination table." His blue eyes penetrated hers, seeing almost into her being, which was nearly impossible since she had closed herself off so well.

"Yeah, well- she wasn't evil! She didn't-didn't…" she was running out of excuses, and right now all she wanted to do was shoot Danny Phantom squarely in the head.

"Didn't what, Valerie?" asked Tucker, coming right up behind Danny.

"It doesn't matter!" she screamed with rage, and pointed her gun even straighter at Danny, gritting her teeth. She was suddenly remarkably glad for her suit, for it hid the watery eyes she was now sporting beneath it.

"Valerie, no!" shouted Sam, but as she tried to cut her weapon off, a purple streak of light ripped through the clear air, making a b-line for the ghost boy.

There was a blinding flash of white light, shaped like an ellipse. The white clashed with the purple, creating a harshly pink sort of color until it faded away completely. It was too late by the time Sam managed to slam the gun to the ground in a pure kick of adrenaline. Tucker was too shocked at the scene to even act. "D-D-Danny?" He stuttered, unnerved by what he saw. There lay their best friend, transformed into Danny Phantom, yet sprawled on the ground and not moving an inch.

"Aha! I knew it!" yelled Valerie in triumph, and Sam was so angry with her, she seriously considered punching the ghost hunter. "How could you do this?" she cried as Valerie used a specialized metal contraption to wrap around Danny's waist and carry him behind her glider. Valerie glared at Sam. She brought her glider down lower so that she was now face to face with Sam Manson, and her eyes had a serious and impenetrable glare about them. "I'm able to do it because I don't make friends with ghosts."

"He was our friend way before he was Danny Phantom," answered Sam in rebellion.

"The sooner you see how he's played you, the better off you'll be," said Valerie. "In the meantime, it's my duty to dispose of him properly.

"You can't-!" Tucker shouted from a few feet away.

Valerie cared not about Tucker's plead or about Sam Manson's vengeful glare. As she flew away with Danny Phantom's limp form between the metal jaws of her glider's appendage, Sam and Tucker ran below her until she was almost out of sight. "You better hope nothing bad happens to him, Valerie, because he may not be evil enough to shoot you down, but I just might be!" called Sam, and as Valerie flew out of hearing range, she contemplated these last words, feeling fear in spite of herself because she knew that Sam was never one to bluff when it came to Danny and Tucker.


	5. Torture

A familiar sight awaited the ghost boy as he groaned from somewhere deep within himself. His brain was jogged suddenly by alertness, and his eyes fluttered open slowly, laser green in appearance. He had to blink several times before the sensation of seeing a thousand blurry colors finally began to heal. He managed to push his eyelids further up and see clearly now, but who stood before him nearly stopped his ghostly heart.

"V-Val…" He couldn't find the words. He suddenly felt an enormous sensation of exhaustion. "What-?" He cut himself off, unable to speak from the effort. In a few moments time, he would most likely catch his breath and be able to protest, but for now, he was stuck with his silent tongue.

She was smirking at him, unable to contain the victorious mood she held inside her system. "Nice of you to join me, Sleeping Beauty." Danny didn't answer, but watched her carefully. A downward glance reminded him that while her ghost ray had gone off before everything went black, he had changed into Danny Phantom in an attempt to fly out of range. Unfortunately, his plan had not worked. The last thing he remembered was falling onto hard concrete and then fading to blackness…

Valerie seemed to be tinkering with a few mechanisms nearby, and as she did so, Danny looked around silently to see where he was. Typical. He was at the small makeshift lab she had taken him to not too long ago, after she had delivered Danielle to Vlad. She had been torturing him for information about the ghost zone then, but something told Danny that she wouldn't be questioning him for help anymore, but simply for answers.

That smirk hadn't left her face, not even as she walked towards him with something that was in the shape of a Y. Obviously, it was made to cause pain to ghosts, but as Danny was wondering to himself what it could possible be for, he received a nasty shock that issued from the end of it. He screamed in agony as Valerie continued to sting him with electromagnetic pulses. "S-stop!" He cried, finally feeling his voice return to him.

"Why should I, Phantom? You never did," said the ghost hunter coldly.

"Valerie, when have I ever hurt you?" Danny asked truthfully. His voice was quiet, and as soon as the word 'you' left his mouth, he began panting desperately for air. Valerie had stopped shocking him for the time being, but it was only a matter of time before she remembered he wasn't here for nothing.

Ignoring his reply, she said, "You can't escape, and telling more lies won't get you anywhere."

Danny sighed heavily. "I told you why I had to back there."

Valerie nearly yelled her heart out, "No more excuses, Phantom!"

Danny was at a loss for what to say. What could he, if Valerie refused to listen to reason? "Just get on with it then," he said with finality.

He had accepted it now. There was nothing he could say or do that would change Valerie's mind, and if he was destined to disintegrate, then he couldn't do anything to stop her. He was shackled to a table flipped forward, just as he had been before the whole Danielle crisis, and he was defeated. Unable to move, threatened by electricity that could easily shut down his human system in at least three more jabs, and thinking things over with such an intensity, you would think he would never be able to think again.

"Just tell me something," he said suddenly, as Valerie prepared a table of some of her best hunting weapons to use on him, no doubt. She looked up and turned her eyes toward him. However hateful they looked, he knew she had pain somewhere deep down. Whatever she was doing now wasn't just because he was a ghost. It was because she was hurt. Even so, he needed to ask this last thing. "What gave me away?"

* * *

><p>"Come on, Tucker! There's got to be something in here that can help us save Danny!" said Sam in a clearly panicking voice, yet she tried to remain calm.<p>

"I'm looking, Sam, but this lab is so messy I can't even see my own feet!" said Tucker.

Sam didn't answer, but instead resumed to rummaging through the boxes upon boxes of ghost equipment in the Fenton's lab. "Spector Deflector, no… Fenton anti-creep stick, no… Fenton crammer… definitely not… Oh come _on, _Tucker!" She said, beginning to lose hope that either of them would find something useful.

"I've got it!" Tucker shouted to her excitedly. She came towards him at once, taking from his hands the very same item that had helped them locate Danny countless times. She ran her fingers over it, looking at the small blinking light located on its point. "This is perfect!" she said to Tucker. "Great job, Tuck!" Tucker managed a grin, but remembering Danny's ordeal, cleanly wiped it off his face in less than two seconds.

Sam gave the Boomerang another twirl and then handed it to Tucker. "Can you check which ghost's ectoplasmic signature is on it?"

Tucker tilted an eyebrow. "What for?"

Sam shook her head. "Because last time we used it, it hit Vlad square in the head. We don't know if it's still keyed into Danny's or not."

Tucker nodded, and without another word, whipped out his PDA and began his techie business. He connected a wire from his handheld device to one of the small fissures in the Boomerang. Pushing buttons at almost the speed of light, Tucker was working furiously. Normally, Sam would have asked him if there was any way he could get the result faster, but it was important now that he keep his concentration in check. He finally finished almost slow minutes later and said, "Done."

As the Boomerang continued to beep, Tucker looked at his PDA in disappointment, though his expression also represented that which was close to confusion. "What is it?" asked Sam bracingly.

Tucker responded, "It's still keyed into Plasmius…" Sam's shoulders slumped. "Though according to this, he's with Valerie!" Sam looked up at him with surprise, even if she was happy at this news. "Great! Let's-" She cut herself off. "Wait a minute." She narrowed her eyes. "How can you track Valerie, exactly?"

"I managed to get Vlad's old tracer on her as she flew away. You know, the one he used on us when we had Frostbite's map and I'll stop talking now." He finished off hurriedly as he glanced at Sam, who was practically seething. "Tucker!"

"What?" he asked in defense, afraid to hear a response.

"Do you realize we could have followed Valerie immediately with that tracer, rather than wasting our time over here?"

Comprehension dawned on Tucker's incredibly tanned features, and he suddenly made a sound that sounded somewhere between self-disappointment and shock. "But-!" He tried, but Sam cut him off. "Look, what's done is done. We need to stop talking about it and go after Danny before Valerie completely tears him apart!"

With a nod, Tucker hopped in the spector speeder, starting it with an enourmous sound as Sam climbed in and said more to herself than anything, "C'mon, Danny… hold on just a bit longer…"

* * *

><p>"Plasmius," she answered in one word.<p>

Danny was floored. "I, you… WHAT?" He had to blink at least three times to make sure once and for all that he wasn't dreaming.

"Your friend Vlad told me everything," she said with a heated glare.

Danny was at a loss for words yet again. What the…? How the heck? He couldn't make sense of this. When had she seen Vlad? Had it been after their truce? Surely it could not have been, because she would have gone after him that same night. Then, it had to be today! Because she came back for him today! Or perhaps the night before, and she decided to get a good night's rest before lugging him back to her ecto lab? His mind was racing with ideas, but she answered all of his unanswered questions in a matter of minutes, knowing his shock and confusion and taking it as an advantage.

"I figured out just after you left that night that you had been right…" she growled the last few words as if it pained her to say them. "So I went to visit Masters earlier today. He had an interesting thought process, to say the least. He told me that Danielle had been your clone, and all it took was to put the last… er… _puzzle piece_ together to figure out who she had been a clone of." She should have been smiling, because this was her crowning moment. When she would finally get to kill Danny Phantom. She wasn't, though, and this struck Danny as strange. Was there hope after all, then? Fat chance, but it was worth a shot.

"Valerie, why did you go after me, then?" Danny asked with irritation. "He was right there! Why didn't you stop him?" He said, trying to understand with all his might how he could be so much worse than Plasmius that he would deserve Valerie's hatred before Vlad ever possibly could.

"I…" Valerie faltered, not willing – at any cost – to give away this information, especially to a traitor. "It doesn't matter!" she said, closing the subject. She pulled out the same weapon she had used earlier and shocked Danny full blast. He screamed with pain, trying desperately to phase out of the locks that held him to this horrible table, but they were ghost proof. "Valerie, PLEASE!" He pleaded.

"No. You don't get sympathy!" shouted Valerie with finality. It was barely noticeable, but her eyes were watering… this was tearing at her insides. She wanted Phantom dead so bad, and although she would have wanted Vlad dead first, she couldn't hunt him until she had gotten what he owed her – her new house and her new life. Phantom was trying his hardest not to yell, but she wasn't done yet.

With a sudden urge of malice, Valerie dropped the shocking device and whipped out a sort of scalpel; it had a short black handle about the size of her index finger, and its blade was sharp and glowing green, indicating that it was harmful to spirits. Danny's eyes widened twice their normal size as he dreaded what was to come. He normally wasn't this soft, but when you were faced with death… no matter how strong you may be, the fear tends to dominate the bravery. He managed, finally, to silence his yelling, though he could feel the blade pierce the bottom of his neck like a savage burn.

The red and black clad ghost hunter was holding the tiny knife with near to shaking hands, and she wore an expression of utter hatred, but the girl who was cutting Danny Phantom was not the true Valerie. It was the monster within her, who wanted blood, who wanted him to suffer, who wanted him to die. Each of us has a monster, and hers was making its debut with an iron fist.

Green ectoplasm was flowing down Danny's neck, staining his suit and oozing onto his chest. His face was hard, and he tried his hardest to breathe although the slit in his throat made it nearly impossible to do so. He was gritting his teeth to keep himself from letting out the wince he was so desperately holding back, and his eyes were narrowed as he tried to breathe in and out… in and out… out… out… He could not breathe in any longer. He needed to clutch his throat, to staunch the bleeding, but his arms were still trapped.

Valerie, seeing his struggle, released him from the grip of the table, and he fell down with a clatter, grasping his throat and panting to try and breathe. His hands managed to close up the hole in the meantime, but Valerie was advancing still further. Knowing full well that Phantom couldn't risk moving for fear he would die right then and there, Valerie grabbed another weapon. This one was a simple syringe, though the liquid inside was a glowing red in color. She injected it into his chest, sending stabbing pain coursing through his undead system.

Danny couldn't hold it any longer. He writhed and yelled with pain, begging Valerie to make the hurt go away, trying to remind her that she was the good guy, not the villain, but nothing he could have said worked, and when he looked into her eyes for the first time in what seemed like ages but had actually only been minutes ago, he finally saw what she had been trying to hide herself. Her cheeks were glistening wet, and her eyes were drenched with tears coming from the bottom of her lids. She was closing them often, trying to scrunch up her face so as not to let the ghost boy see and to try and stop them altogether.

Nothing she did worked, and Danny's vision began to fade in and out of darkness before he could even bother wondering why she could possibly be crying. "You ruined everything…" he heard her mutter while his body contracted with a searing pain that was the result of the red liquid. His eyes flashed red and glowed with an intensity he had never known before, and he saw it within the metal table he had fallen from. He was frightening in appearance. With these pained eyes, he saw sweat coming down from all sides of his pure white hair. It pooled on his tanned face in groups, and the ectoplasm that should have been blood had he been human had by now completely tainted the symbol of Danny Phantom, located in on his chest. He was finished, this was done. He just wanted it over.

"Just die, Phantom!" he heard Valerie say, stuttering as she gasped because of her continuous tears. Danny looked up at her, his eyes turning green one last time as the burning finally ended. His throat was numb. His lungs were working overtime, trying to supply him with air that was escaping through the gape in his neck. Every inch of his body felt defeated, and the last thing he remembered seeing was Valerie's tear stained face, looking down at him with an expression of mingled hatred and pity. His vision faded to black, and he fell into nothingness. It was bliss… pure and unbridled bliss… Nothing hurt anymore, because he was no longer apart of reality. Where he was really, he could not tell, but all he knew was that he was floating in the blackness of his mind's eye, and that he felt strangely disconnected with the solid body he once knew.

Valerie had completely broken down. In fact, as the white ellipse came into view, she nearly dropped the second syringe she had stored away in her pocket. She fumbled with it dumbly before managing to pierce his skin between the place where the ellipse had formed, and by the time the bright white circle had gone, and Danny Phantom was no more, Valerie had a syringe in her hand full of mingled crimson blood and glowing green ectoplasm. It was the DNA between Danny's forms. It was exactly what Plasmius had last requested.

As she stared at the sample, though, she nearly doubled over with sorrow. How could she have been so spiteful? The blood in the syringe caused her eyes to look onto the dead body in front of her, and she had trouble not passing out herself as she looked upon the broken form of an innocent boy she once knew… Innocent? But… _Stop! _A voice in her head told her. _He was innocent. He was just a teenager, your age, not unlike yourself. You hated ghosts, and because of that you learned to hate him. You should have known he was not as evil as you always thought… you knew Fenton was harmless. Why was it that when you learned they were one and the same, he suddenly became all evil?_ Valerie's inner voice broke off as a noise in the corner of the lab startled her. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve as quickly as time would allow, and turned just in time to see Plasmius, who at the moment was clapping cruelly.

"Good show, good show. I must say, Valerie, I had doubts you would actually accomplish this feat, but marvelous work!" He looked down upon Danny's dead human body and smirked in contempt, giving Valerie the sudden urge to smack him upside the head. A few more moments he admired her damage before he finally looked back up at her eyes, ignoring their puffy redness. "Now, about that DNA sample?" He held out his hand. Valerie was reaching it out to drop it into his palm when a thought occurred to her.

"Give me the deed first. No tricks, no games. If I find out you lied, so help me I'll make sure you're the next ghost on my list who ends up like him." She gestured towards Danny. "Except in your case, I wouldn't expect anyone to recognize you once I'm through."

Vlad raised an eyebrow and actually chuckled. "If you say so, Valerie," he said with a fang-toothed grin, and gave Valerie a piece of parchment announcing a congratulations to the new owners of a huge house… _'Mr. Gray and his daughter, Valerie – we congratulate you on your new home! The sincerest welcome…'_ the letter on top of the deed continued on. She nodded, unable to believe her eyes, and handed Vlad the syringe.

Vlad had just floated off when a large floating tank of some kind crashed through the left wall, throwing Valerie back and onto the floor. Sam leapt out of the spector speeder, rushing to Danny's side with a panicked expression. The moment she saw all the crimson blood, which flowed from his neck all the way across his white shirt and even down to the upper section of his jeans, she knew. She knew he was gone, and she let tears shed because she knew there was nothing that could be done.

Tucker joined her soon after, though he hadn't knelt down like she had. He was in too much shock at the scene in front of him to do much of anything, and he just stood there gaping, devastated, and unable to flinch, move, or even cry. He was frozen in grief. Sam, on the other hand, had all but completely lost it. She had fallen on her knees by the previously lively form of her best friend, and she was clutching his blood stained body as if by doing so, he might suddenly wretch and return to the world. The tears were flowing like water works, and although she did not sob out loud, the goth girl was showing so much emotion, even Tucker was unsure he had ever seen her this miserable.

After what felt like hours, Sam sniffed and rounded on Valerie, who had watched the whole scene with mixed emotions. It was hard to tell what was going on in her mind. She felt happy and triumphant for having finally reached her goal of killing Phantom – the reason she had originally become a ghost hunter in the first place. She felt sad and grieving, because although she had never known Fenton as well as these two in front of her, she still felt like mourning his death, which was absurd… she shouldn't feel that way. Yet, at one time, she and he had been together and nearly inseparable. True it had been a short amount of time, but Valerie could still recall that night on the ferris wheel as if it had been yesterday. A dawning suddenly came upon her, and she felt guilty. At first she had felt happy, but now she just felt remorse… and it hit her as if she had been the one whose throat had been slit, not Danny. And for a split second, she wished it had been her rather than Danny.

"How could you?" screamed Sam, who abruptly stood up and was advancing on Valerie. "How could you do that?" Her eyes were bloodshot and still teary, but Sam Manson cared not if Valerie saw her cry. It would make her feel all the more guilty, if she felt that at all. "He was our best friend!" She yelled, and Valerie glanced at Tucker, who had finally taken in what had happened, and was watery eyed and kneeling in Sam's place, crouching over himself and clearly upset.

"You knew him!" Sam howled. "You knew he was harmless! He had a hundred chances to stop you dead and did he ever do it?" Valerie tried to say something, but Sam cut her off. "NO! You don't get to say you're sorry. It's too late. This is all your fault, and I swear to Danny's grave, that I'll make you pay for it!" She said, now starting to cry hysterically. She resolved to join Tucker beside Danny, and said with piercing hatred that chilled Valerie to the very bone, "No matter what you do, where you go, or what you try, I'll find you. I don't know what the hell you could have possibly gained from this," she gestured to Danny's blood corpse. "But I can tell you right now, be happy while you still can! Because you won't be able to feel at all for much longer."

She turned away from Valerie, and every excuse the ghost hunter could have possibly given was lost as her tongue tied itself together. She felt horrible, evil, wretched. Sam was right. She deserved to die too.


	6. Funeral

_Writer's Note: Thank you so much guys for all the support! It really means so much to me, and it's what keeps me going. So thank you3. I promise not to let you down with this one! Enjoy! (:_

No one could know. Not the Fentons, not the students, no one. Sam's cheeks were glistening with tears that betrayed her gothic outline. She was supposed to be tough, and yet here she was, mourning her best friend since middle school. It was only natural, but she still couldn't help but feel a tinge of weakness. She had wanted to go after Valerie immediately to soothe the snarling beast within her, but Tucker had warned against it. He said it would only harvest trouble. It'd be better to wait, and he was right.

This was why they were burying him privately, a bit outside of Amity Park. They wouldn't be able to stand all the trouble announcing his death would cause. For one, there would be so many more people grieving… Jack and Maddie and Jazz didn't need that. Sam and Tucker would have to bear this weight of grief alone. People at the school would talk, Valerie would feel even more satisfied now that her handy work was the talk of the town and most importantly, she would get away with it. Sam refused to let that happen, and she was willing to do anything in her power to get revenge. Danny probably would not have done that, but what choice did they have? Danny was gone, and he wasn't coming back. It was time for Sam and Tucker to take matters into their own hands.

Sam and Tucker grieved differently. Whereas Sam suddenly began letting her weakness out and allowing her hatred of Valerie to soak in further, Tucker had just gone silent. It was as if his lips had stopped moving since he had witnessed the scene of Danny's death. All the blood… puddles of green ectoplasm and red crimson flashed through Sam's mind, and she scrunched her face to keep herself from letting another tear fall, but it was no use. She was in control of a lot of things, but her emotions weren't one of them, and she was angry with herself for knowing it. Tucker had just gone along with her desperate attempt to avenge Danny, but he hadn't really felt the same. He just felt… cold, empty.

No words were spoken between them, but both of the friends knew exactly what to do at the right time. Sam took one end of the wooden box they had so poorly fashioned nearly six days ago. It had taken them that long to put together and nail a coffin piece by grueling piece as their sorrows consumed them. Tucker had worked as best he could, but he had been slow to say the least. Sam used her suffering to fuel her, thinking of Valerie as she hammered away at the worn wood. Now Tucker took the opposite end of the coffin, holding his expression in a grimace and keeping his face unnervingly blank for someone with such deep thoughts.

It took quite some time for them to heave the coffin into a medium sized grave, which they had dug themselves. They had tried not to make it too deep, for that would have taken at least another few days. They couldn't stand to look at Danny's broken form for that long. They just wanted him to rest in peace, and although the scars of that day would linger in their minds forever, at least it was safe to assume that they would not be reminded of it every second they turned their heads from their work.

After about an hour, Sam and Tucker both heaved themselves back onto the grass, looking down one final time at the coffin they had worked so hard to create, and the shattered figure that lay within it. "Danny…" Sam whispered, letting another tear trickle down her cheek without so much as a wince now. She sniffed involuntarily, and turned away from the open grave. "Let's close it," she said at last in a mutter, and Tucker nodded, handing her a shovel that matched his own. They both dug into the dirt, pushing it back in its place, as if it had never been disturbed to begin with…

* * *

><p>The ghost zone was virtually empty all around Skulker's Island. The ghost zone's greatest ghost hunter had been messing around with his suit and gear before noticing something materialize on a floating rock a few meters west of the edge he had been looking out on. He thought he recognized it, but he couldn't be sure. Most things in here looked familiar to him, and he was eager for a prize worthy of his ghost hunting greatness, so naturally, he "saw" ghosts everywhere, wanting to bag them and make them his trophies.<p>

He grinned somewhat maliciously as he floated more towards the small rock. It took about fifteen minutes for him to reach it, and his iron boots touched down with a small metal thud. His blazing green hair swept back as eyes that matched its color drew themselves to a crumpled mass. Whatever it was, he did not know yet, so he approached with some caution, despite his massive talent in claiming trophies.

His eyes widened as he drew level with the figure, and his grin returned with a vengeance as he stared upon the form of a ghost he knew. He had hunted him for quite some time, but without any luck. The ghost seemed to be struggling within his own body and mind, and normally Skulker would have taken his chance and shot him with a net before he could wake and escape, but something about the struggle made him pause and stare. He was curious to see what would happen with his prey.

The black suited form was beginning to toss and turn upon the rock, gritting his teeth as his ghostly pale hair whipped back and forth with his body. A few minutes passed, and finally, as Skulker had been waiting, the challenge arose. The ghost's eyes opened, laser green and dazed. He sat up, grasping his forehead with his left, white gloved hand. His tan face somehow seemed paler than usual, and Skulker couldn't help but think how easy it would be to finally bag him – the ghost boy.

"What-?" whispered Danny in a haze, and suddenly he recognized the ghost zone, as his vision came back into focus. Flashbacks of his time with Valerie were pasted within his memory, but all he could remember was grasping his throat, being injected with something toxic, and blacking out. He had felt bliss for a short period of time – dreams, maybe? – and now he had woken here. But how did he get here?

"Hello, ghost child," said Skulker in a confident tone.

Suddenly, Danny seemed to have noticed Skulker's presence and he flinched noticeably at the sudden sound of another ghost's voice. "Sk-Skulker?" He asked weakly.

"Yes, ghost boy! Who else?" he said with pleasure, and he stood up, ready to shoot Danny with his devices and take him back to his island only fifteen minutes away. "And now, ghost child, you shall finally be mine-!" He stopped abruptly as the scanner on his arm _binged. _Skulker's eyes lurched to it in surprise. As he gazed at it, those eyes narrowed. "No… this can't be… What?" He paused, looking down at the ghost boy. "What has happened to you?" he asked with a shocked expression.

Danny had no idea what Skulker was talking about. Did he maybe know about Valerie? No, even if he did, he wouldn't care that he had nearly died- Wait. "What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.

Skulker withdrew his weapons, looking very irritated. "It seems you are no longer a suitable prize for my collection," he said, and when Danny's expression echoed confusion, he elaborated, "You are no longer half human. You are just another ghost." He flew off back to his island, leaving Danny in such shock that he could not bring himself to move, to fly, to do anything. Not even remember Tucker or Sam, the mourning friends he had left behind back home.


	7. Replacement

"Perfect. Absolutely perfect…" sneered Vlad Plasmius. He was wearing a broad, fang-toothed grin as he began to finalize his work. He was holding a needle precariously in his hand, but it was a strange sort of device. It wasn't a syringe, but rather something like those kinds of tools that would be used to draw a tattoo.

He was hunched over a table within the depths of his mansion, peering at his project with such a triumphant yet focused eye, that you would think the tiniest mistake on his behalf could destroy the whole thing. Indeed, that much was probably true. He gentle ran over the veins of a ghost boy who lay before him. This ghost boy was not the original, though. He was a copy. He was a very intelligent copy, but a copy nonetheless. The original was still floating in the ghost zone, unknown by Vlad Plasmius to still have the means to return back to his home.

Vlad gently traced the outlined veins of this ghost boy, whose eyes were closed and whose hair was stark white. Once he was sure he had found a good one, he injected the clone with a strange liquid – it was mixed crimson and ectoplasm from the original ghost boy, and it seemed to be having its desired effect on the copy at hand. Vlad Plasmius was waiting patiently for something significant to happen, as at the moment the DNA of Danny Phantom's phase was coursing through the duplicate's blood stream – or rather individual ectoplasm.

Twenty minutes later, Vlad still stood right where he had been as he had injected his project. He had not moved an inch, and he seemed engrossed with what lay in front of him. With a sudden flourish, the ghost boy's eyes flew open, yet they were not green as the original Danny Phantom's were. They almost seemed to take the color of the dead Danny Fenton's blood, which was now residing in the human DNA aspect of the clone. He stared at Vlad Plasmius, cocking his head to the side as if he had just awoken from a daze.

"F-father?" he asked, in what sounded chillingly similar to the actual Danny Phantom's voice. Vlad Plasmius let that smile show through again, and he nodded in response. "Tell me, child, can you return back to a human form?"

The clone looked upon himself as if he had just been born, which in a way he had been, and stared at his hands. He didn't know how to do what his father had just asked him, but he did know that the instructions were there in his system… somehow. He concentrated on being human – whatever that was – and although it took ten grueling minutes, a white flash suddenly appeared. It was tainted pink, as if the white ellipse was not in its pure form and was somehow mutated.

The second Danny Phantom's eyes were turned from a blood red to a reminiscent green. It was a sort of brackish color which showed even more prominently since his eyes were bloodshot and irritated looking. He stared at his hands which were now as pale as the real Danny Fenton's, and touched his hair which seemed just as dark as the original's, yet upon closer inspection was still gray at the very roots. All in all, he was a good duplicate, but there were certain differences that those closest to him may be able to tell apart.

Vlad Plasmius noticed this as he studied his subject, but he realized that they were minimal differences that would definitely go undetected by the horrid Jack Fenton. Maddie, who was smarter and more observant, may notice something off, but honestly, she would have to rack his hairline in order to notice the gray pieces. She was an adult and her eyes were not as good as they would be had she still been the teenager Vlad first fell in love with. The bloodshot outer eye could be easily excused for no sleep or a cold, so that was no problem at all.

Now that the clone was ready, Vlad smirked viciously and said to his 'son', "Now, here's what I need you to do." He held him close and whispered in his ear, and as he finished relaying instructions, the cloned Danny Fenton's lips cornered into a smirk, and those blood shot eyes suddenly glowed, forming the ghostly crimson ones that resided with his ghost side.

* * *

><p>It had been hours since Danny – the original Danny – had awoken to see Skulker's disappointment at his sudden loss of his human half. In that time, Danny had been mulling over his options. What should he do? All he could think was that something Valerie did had split his ghost half from his human one. And yet, he felt strangely detached…<p>

He was still himself, very unlike that ghost he had once seen a long time ago… the Ultimate Enemy. The severed Danny Phantom who had split apart Masters from Plasmius, phased Plasmius, and became an evil spirit, not even stopped 20 years later… Until the Danny from the past – himself – came and defeated him. Somehow, though, Danny could tell that if he didn't find his human half soon and find a way to return to it, he could have the potential to become just as evil as that figure who had been severed.

He gritted his teeth as he looked around, frustrated yet again that he seemed to be lost. A left at Clockwork's tower- Wait. Clockwork! Surely, he could fix everything! …Couldn't he?

* * *

><p>"I cannot do what you ask," answered Clockwork. Danny's shoulders visibly dropped. "But-" Danny began, and Clockwork shook his head. "I cannot change time to bring people back from the dead. I'm sorry." His form changed from that of an old man to a child, but since Danny was used to it, he took no notice. Instead, he focused on trying to convince Clockwork.<p>

"But, Clockwork, if I'm dead I'll… I'll…" He faltered, gulping noticeably.

Clockwork raised an eyebrow at him but seemed to understand.

"You'll turn into a monster? Like the future Danny Phantom who you yourself defeated?" He shook his head, letting the smallest trace of a smile pass his ghostly lips, now that he was in an adult form. "You're past that, Daniel. Your ghost form is pure now."

Danny shook his head. "How can you be so sure?"

"One does not spend an eternity simply drifting about," said Clockwork, and Danny had to admit, he had a point there.

"But, how can I help with the other ghosts if I'm technically… you know…?"

Clockwork didn't answer him at first; in fact, he phased through his cycle of old man to young boy to adult before he finally answered him. "That I cannot tell you for certain. You must make the decision on your own."

Danny was getting slightly irritated, but he knew Clockwork wasn't one to stress anger to. Instead, he tried with utmost strength to plead, "Please, Clockwork. There has to be something."

Clockwork stared down at him, nodding after a good minute or so. "Very well." He turned towards a large seemingly bubble like screen. He tapped his cane looking scepter to it, letting it ripple until Danny had to do everything in his power not to gasp aloud. He saw Sam and Tucker, mourning over his dead body. The amount of blood was disgusting, and it was mingled with ectoplasm – no doubt the blood of Danny Phantom. Danny couldn't help but grimace. The scene changed.

Now he saw his two best friends mourning over a newly dug grave. It took every ounce of strength they had to heave a homemade coffin into it. So they hadn't told his parents… yet. That was good. They needn't have to worry. Danny was already ready to tear something apart having to look at his two greatest friends suffering like that. Clockwork allowed the scene to vanish, taking a while to speak.

"Do you see your future?" said Clockwork.

Danny shook his head. "I never was good at that stuff…" he said mildly.

Clockwork let a smile pass his face as he changed into a young boy once more. "You have not given up thus far. What should stop you from continuing your journey?"

Danny sulked, not wanting to say it aloud, but forcing himself to anyway. He was tempted to let the held back tears water his eyes, but he refused to let them go. "I'm dead! I can't do anything anymore! I've left my friends alone, and I can't find a way back! You say I'm "pure" but my ghost form has always been unstable on its own. I-"

Clockwork put a hand up, touched his cane to the screen again, and urged Danny to look. Daniel's eyes must have widened a third of their normal size. "But-"

Clockwork nodded, phasing into an old man. "Your grave is shallow, Danny Phantom. Do you see the path now?"

Clockwork never was one to say things directly, and that probably would have annoyed just about anyone. Danny was just starting to understand, though. "Wait… are you saying that if I phase back into my human body, I'll be able to … you know. Come back?"

Clockwork let the smile stay this time as he nodded and said, "You never left."

* * *

><p>It was inevitable. Sam couldn't live with at least Jazz not knowing about Danny. She couldn't stand the lies. The world wouldn't have to know about his death, but it was wrong not to tell Danny's own family. She was looking at Tucker with apprehension and nervousness – something unusual to Sam's character. "You ready?"<p>

Tucker nodded. "About as ready as I'll ever be…" He had been talking lately, and Sam was glad. She was starting to hope that maybe Tucker might come around sooner. With another breath, she knocked on the door, and her heart plummeted when she saw Jack Fenton answer the door, smiling that huge idiot smile at her that he usually wore. "Sam! Tucker! Seen any ghosts lately?"

Sam shook her head, beginning, "Mr. Fenton, we have something to-"

"Wait just one second. I'll go get Danny," he hopped off with a skip to his step, and Sam was flabbergasted. She turned to Tucker who she saw was now glued to the spot with shock. "W-w-what?" She said to no one in particular. "That's impossible…"

Tucker nodded, agreeing with her but still not able to find his voice.

Suddenly Jack came back with Danny by his side. Sam's mouth was nearly ready to fly open, and Tucker just stood there not able to move an inch. "I-you- What?" said Sam. Jack grinned again, said, "I'll just leave you kids alone," and wandered off into the kitchen to talk to Maddie. "Wha… Danny, where the… how the-? How did you survive? You were d-d-dead!" Sam was on the verge of tears, and Tucker finally managed to speak. "Why didn't you tell us you were back?"

Danny furrowed his eyebrows, thinking of a good explanation. "I, er… I just got back a while ago. I don't know what happened." He shrugged. Sam furrowed her own eyebrows in response. "What happened to your voice?" she asked. Indeed, the voice of her best friend standing before her was rough and metallic. It was nothing like his usual one.

"Just a col-" He was stopped mid-sentence by Tucker.

"Yeah man, and what happened to your eyes?" He pointed to them.

His eyes were bloodshot and red looking. His irises were an almost teal sort of color. Danny shook his head vigorously. "Nothing, nothing. It's just a cold. I'll be fine. So what did you guys come here for?" Sam chanced a glance at Tucker, who seemed to be thinking along the same lines as she was. Something wasn't right here.

"What happened to your wounds?" Sam asked.

Danny shrugged. "They must have healed. I honestly don't know what happened."

Sam lowered her eyebrows further, narrowing her eyes in the process. "Why is it that we don't believe you?"

Danny looked confused. "Why wouldn't you? I'm your… best friend." It took a split second's hesitation for him to say it right, but that was all they needed.

"You're not the real Danny. Who are you?" demanded Sam.

Danny smirked suddenly, closing the door behind him. "Ah well, the façade was cool while it lasted. You want to know who I am?" A tainted ellipse formed around his torso; it was pink in color and looked positively alarming. His features changed progressively, and it was while his gray hair began to take over his black roots that Sam noticed gray at the tips of his scalp. Both of them seemed to be engulfed in what was going on before them. When he finished transforming, he opened his eyes. They were a disturbing blood red in color. Almost like human blood.

"I am Daniel 2.0. The better, more improved version of the dead friend you once knew. I am his replacement, and quite a good one might I add. In other words, I'm your worst nightmare." He grinned a savage smile and went for the two best friends of the original Danny.

* * *

><p>Finally! Danny had made his way out. Although Clockwork has shown him that his grave was shallow, Danny hadn't thought about it until now that he would have no idea where it actually was. It was on the outskirts of Amity Park for sure, but its exact whereabouts were a mystery. Therefore, he resolved to find Sam and Tucker. He phased through the walls of his house, invisible to his family, whom he loved so dearly and were going about their normal chores, happy and smiling. He managed a smile of his own, glad they were not grieving.<p>

He tried going out onto the roof to get a better view, but as he phased through the top floor's ceiling, he heard something going on below. He stared down just in time to see someone… himself? Transforming into Danny Phantom… but there was something wrong with him. He seemed off, bloodshot eyes and crimson irises, pink tainted ellipse when he transformed and a gravelly voice to match. What the heck was going on here? Suddenly the other Danny attacked, and the original Danny yelled, not able to get there fast enough to stop his initial blow.


	8. Climax

"No!" called out Danny Phantom. He was still on the roof, watching in horror as another version of him was about to blast his friends to dust. He stretched out his hand as if that could possibly help them, his eyes widened in terror and fear. Suddenly, he witnessed a blinding green flash. He had to turn away to allow his eyes to adjust to the sudden change of atmosphere, but when he looked towards the same spot again, he saw a stunning sight.

Valerie was standing in front of both Sam and Tucker, her gun trained on the second Danny, who had been blasted off his feet and was lying on the floor. He was just starting to get up as Valerie turned to the two behind her. "You guys alright?" it was strangely sincere for her to ask, and indeed, neither Sam nor Tucker answered her at first. Valerie didn't seem to care that they chose not to respond, and she snapped her head back to face the second Danny. Sam decided to pipe up as he struggled to his feet.

"Haven't done enough damage, huh Valerie?"

Valerie turned with surprise, but her face hardened instantly. "I've done more than that, Manson. I'm not here to kill your boyfriend a second time. He's gone." Her eyes seemed to flash with grief for a split second, but it disappeared as she continued, "This Phantom is a fake."

Sam was a bit stunned. So, Valerie didn't come to destroy what she perhaps thought was the still alive original Danny? She already knew it was a clone? Curious…

"How do you know?" Sam blurted.

Valerie didn't turn back; her eyes were trained on Daniel 2.0. "Vlad Masters," she answered simply.

Sam turned to Tucker with a gaping expression. "Wha-?"

"No time to explain, Manson! Just get out of here!"

Tucker shook his head. "No way. We're helping."

Valerie faltered, clearly hesitating because she didn't expect them to refuse. "I-uh… you can't!" she called, but she was blown from the spot she was standing on by a pinkish ghost ray blast from Daniel 2.0. Sam and Tucker gasped, unable to believe what they were seeing. The other Danny had knocked Valerie off her feet.

Daniel 2.0 laughed cruelly, advancing on Sam and Tucker. Valerie laid her hand out in front of her in an attempt to reach her fallen ghost gun. This time, the original Danny refused to let them get hurt. He moved like a bullet, flying through the air so fast that the wind whipping against his face stung a bit. He shot a bright green ghost ray straight at the unsuspecting clone's back. Daniel 2.0 cried out in pain, staggering to one knee and looking behind him for any sign of what could have possibly hit him. That must have been a ghost ray. He could feel it. But who-?

He heard a crack from the opposite and turned back in the direction of Sam, Tucker, and Valerie – who managed to grab her ghost gun and was getting back up again fast. Sam whipped her head to see Valerie, wondering how in the world she managed to shoot the clone when she was on the ground and out of reach of her weapon. Tucker was about to voice a similar opinion, but Valerie cut off both their thoughts. "Duck!" she yelled, and all three performed the same action, getting low to the ground as another reddish ghost ray flew straight over their heads.

"Valerie, shoot!" Sam ordered. Normally, Valerie would have snapped back at her. She wasn't someone you could just command to do anything. This time, though, she bit her tongue and shot. The second Danny plummeted across the air, hitting the brick wall of a house across the street. It was unoccupied because the neighbors residing in it were on vacation for a few weeks.

Daniel 2.0 gritted his teeth in frustration. They were purebred humans. They weren't half and half, like him. They couldn't possibly beat his power. Vlad had told him that he was special. He could never be beaten, like the past clones were. Or at least, he could never melt like they had. Granted, he only had the powers of stupid Danny Phantom, but he also had the knowledge of his father, Vlad Plasmius. This was an advantage fit for a victor.

Valerie was now preoccupied, trying to get a better weapon. Obviously, this one wasn't doing it. It only shot him down; he was getting right back up again. Something else had to knock him old cold… or kill him. Something had to!

She was fumbling around in her bag as Daniel 2.0 stepped forward with determination, practically seething anticipation. "Now, I'll end you!" he shouted. The original Danny was still in the air, somewhere to the left of the action. He had been the one to shoot the clone in the back, but his mind was racing so bad he wasn't sure he could help his friends anymore than that.

For one thing, his subconscious was scared of Valerie. He told himself it was stupid to be scared of her. How many times had he gone up against her and managed to escape? How many times had he been with the real Valerie, as Danny Fenton, and wanted to stay in her company? But… the look in her eyes when she was slaying him… she had hated him so much… He couldn't understand, and the thought of going over there just to be killed again scared him to death.

But he couldn't be killed as a ghost, could he? Oh what a stupid idiot he was. He face palmed his forehead, remembering the ghost shredder his parents once built. And weren't they always talking about tearing him apart? Molecule by molecule? Of course it was possible to 'die' as a ghost. Well, not truly… he had no human body at this moment in time. But if his ghost half was destroyed, who knows where he'd wake up next. If at all.

He was also confused by the appearance of another… him. The only times he had seen himself besides in the mirror was when he split himself in half, using that stupid Fenton Ghost Catcher, and when Vlad had been trying to make clones of- Wait a minute… was that a clone?

Valerie had just managed to get some sort of stronger weapon (most likely one that would keep him down for more than a few minutes), but she didn't grab it in time. Daniel 2.0 had already stuck his face out, performing a ghostly wail that sounded more like a screech than anything else. It pushed all three – Tucker, Sam, and Valerie – back, as they struggled to stand.

They were incapacitated now, holding their ears so that the sound didn't penetrate them as bad. All three had fallen to their knees on the asphalt with their eyes closed and their expressions in pain. Daniel 2.0 stopped to take a breath, and he also noted how they didn't move immediately when he closed his mouth. Now was his time to strike! He brought both of his hands in front of him, deciding to take out both of the females first – since they seemed to be the greatest threats at the moment. His energy was building for a gigantic blast, but a blur of black and white moved in front of him, taking the blast for Sam and Valerie.

Daniel 2.0 nearly growled, shouting aloud, "Who was that?" He looked down to the floor, seeing before any of the others one who looked like himself but… purer. He crept up upon him, smirking widely. "So, I guess it's safe to assume you didn't go to heaven, huh?" whispered Daniel 2.0.

Danny wasn't done yet. He'd fought worse before, and he refused to stay on the ground another second. He nearly flew back up on his feet, taking Daniel 2.0 by the neck and tossing him into an abandoned house a few blocks away. Daniel 2.0 smashed into the bricks. It took him nearly a minute to resurface, though when he did, he merely snarled and flew off into the orange-tinted sky. Sunset was approaching, and the original Danny breathed out softly, glad the threat was gone. For now. Who knows where he went. They needed to figure this out somehow, but other matters topped his to-do list.

A huge and sharp intake of breath erupted behind him, as two voices whispered desperately, "Danny?" and another sat disbelieving, muttering under her breath, "Phantom? Should've known…" though Valerie acted strong on the outside, her eyes were watering just as much as Sam and Tucker. She wiped them immediately and stood up, brushing off the dust from her suit.

Sam and Tucker stood, waiting for him to turn. It was the real one, now right? Right…? He just needed to turn. They needed to be sure… they needed to know it wasn't still the clone. As the back of that head turned, his stark white hair was glimmering in the dimming daylight. His green eyes showed like beacons, and his face cracked into a smile. "Hey, guys… I missed you…" he said a little quietly. Sam and Tucker ran to him not a second later.

Sam embraced him tightly, not letting anyone tear her apart until she was good and ready. Tucker punched his shoulder playfully, giving him a two second hug after Sam. "We thought you were…" Tucker drifted off.

"Dead?" Danny finished. Both of them nodded. He looked back towards Valerie, who wanted so bad to apologize, to explain herself, to do _something_. But no words were coming. No actions showed themselves. She was frozen. In the few minutes Danny had finally decided to save them, he had decided to get over his fear of Valerie. She must have been confused. There must be some explanation… right? He knew she hated him, but he also knew she'd never kill a human. She had shown that much when it came to Danielle. But Danny also knew she wouldn't show her feelings easily, so he would give her time until she was ready to spill.

He looked back at Sam and Tucker, who had grins pasted on their faces now. Valerie finally found the motive to walk closer to the group, standing a few feet behind for various reasons of her own. "I'm… glad you're back, F-Fenton." It took a while for her to show she cared in front of everyone. She let it out when she realized it wasn't weakness to do so, though. "Thought I killed you…" she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

Danny smiled sadly, looking at all three of them simultaneously. "You did."


	9. Solution

_Writer's Note: I'm sorry for not updating in like two months; I've been super busy with everything and have had no muse for writing. I hope you guys will forgive me! This chapter seems kinda meh to me at the moment... If anyone has critique or comments, feel free to say so in the reviews! ;3_

"What are you talking about gho-" Valerie stopped herself abruptly, correcting her last phrase immediately. "Danny?" She was shocked, to say the least. Did Phantom… Fenton, really just say she killed him? "How could I have if you're still…?" She was trying to be brave, to show no regret, but unlike Sam – who didn't care about Valerie at all right now – or Tucker – who was too distracted to notice – Danny could see right through her.

Sam's eyes widened slightly as she said, "Danny… why haven't you changed back yet?"

Danny shook his head despairingly and replied, "I can't."

Tucker was beginning to catch on now too. "How come?"

"Clockwork told me that when I died... my ghost half was separated from my human half..." explained Danny.

"Wait, you went to see Clockwork?" asked Sam.

"Who's Clockwork?" muttered Valerie.

Danny heard them both and responded, "Clockwork is the ghost of time. And yes, I saw him when I woke up in the ghost zone." He paused, looking from face to face. It felt positively strange saying these things in front of Valerie, but it looked as if she was on their side now, finally. He continued, "Clockwork said that if I merged back with my human half, I could come back."

"But Danny, how is that possible?" asked Sam. "Your human half is covered in blood and... you never healed or anything because you..." she couldn't bring herself to say the word, and she closed her eyes to keep them from watering again.

Danny drooped his head, trying to figure out the meaning of Clockwork's words. _'You never left' ... 'Your ghost form is pure now' ... _Had he been trying to say...? "I think I know what he was trying to tell me." When all three pairs of eyes were on him, he said, "Maybe my human half still has a spec of ghost DNA attached to it, and that's why I'll be able to merge back."

Sam seemed suspicious, as did Valerie. Tucker would rather just try anything. "Okay, so if that's true, what do we do then?" he asked.

Danny thought for a moment. "Well first, we have to find where my... is you know..." he trailed off awkwardly.

"We have that covered," said Sam, starting to see things Tucker's way. "But, Danny, you can't combine your two halves yet. The human part is covered in wounds..."

Danny sighed. "I know that, Sam, but Clockwork said not to waste any time."

"But, dude... won't it all be for nothing if you end up dying again?" said Tucker truthfully.

Valerie looked away from them, guilt coursing through her like an unwanted disease. She couldn't help but feel relief that Fenton was alive, but at the same time, her emotions were in such turmoil, she wasn't sure whether she was happy as well, or just plain stupid. "Is... isn't your sister a major science geek or something?" she said, in an attempt to get involved. She may hate all evil ghosts, but by now it was painfully obvious that she had made a grave mistake. She was ashamed by their conversation, because she knew there wouldn't be any problem if it hadn't been for her. Yet while Sam held contempt in her voice earlier, Danny seemed almost... forgiving? How could he possibly forgive her after all she had put him through? Not just when she... k-killed him, but from all her hunting before?

Danny's emerald green eyes turned up to look at her, an idea suddenly forming in his mind. "Yeah, that's right! Jazz said she had been reading up on being a doctor... although she's always blabbing on about psychology. She'd be our best bet!" He looked at Valerie straight in the eyes, nodded, and said, "Thank you, Valerie."

The most uncharacteristic words Valerie would ever say came out of her mouth now: "Don't thank me. I don't deserve it."

This even turned Sam's head to face her. She was flabbergasted that a hard head like Valerie would ever admit this, and frankly, it softened her heart ever so slightly. She couldn't find the words to say anything, though.

But Danny knew exactly what to say. "Everyone deserves second chances."


	10. Help

"This is it," said Sam in a low voice.

Danny was unsure of what to do next. Mainly because he felt positively _odd_, digging up his own body - or so to speak. "Are you sure you want to do this, man?" Tucker asked hesitantly. "We can dig it up for you-"

"No, I don't want to make you guys do that," said Danny, cutting him off. Tucker nodded, and Danny took a last look from Sam to Tucker to Valerie before diving into the depths of the turned up soil, intangible. Two minutes later, he returned with a grimace on his face. Above the surface, as soon as his feet hit the ground again, he returned to his tangible state, revealing a bloodied corpse in his arms that had not decayed at all. It had only been a few days since he had lost his life. Time was of the essence.

Valerie turned away at the mere sight of all the blood. She was horrified. _She _had done that? How much of a monster could she have been? Even a lousy, full-ghost didn't deserve something like that, and to say she had made a severe mistake would be an understatement. She couldn't bring herself to say an apology. It used to be because of pride, but now it was just because she felt it would never suffice.

"Valerie, are you... alright?" asked Sam with much effort. She never really liked Valerie, but what she had said back in front of the Fenton's house had startled her into sympathy. Valerie hadn't said a word since they had flown over here - Danny holding Sam while he flew and Valerie taking Tucker on her glider - and frankly that just wasn't like her.

"I-uh..." she trailed off, looking back at them with miserable eyes, but still refusing to cry in front of them despite everything. "I just..." she turned her head down, which was uncovered. She had taken off her ghost hunting mask, but left the suit in case they ran into some trouble. Turns out, this was the biggest trouble she'd face all day - even counting Daniel 2.0. "I want to say I'm sorry, but it's never going to be enough," she muttered just loud enough for her to hear, and this sent Sam over the edge. She was _sorry? Her? _Actually sorry? She didn't know how to respond, though, because as bad as she felt for her, she wasn't used to consoling others - Valerie in particular.

Danny said, "It doesn't matter, Valerie. What's done is done. It's in the past now."

"But it's not in the past, Danny!" snapped Valerie miserably. "I hurt you, bad, and you're still willing to forgive me for that? Things like that don't just get forgiven. I _killed _you. You should hate me." She turned to Sam, lowering her voice to nothing but a whisper. "You all should."

Tucker shook his head after registering everything and said, "Valerie, Danny's not like that."

"I know that now... I should have remembered, and I... no, there's no excuses." She looked up at Danny now, staring into those pools of green eyes, so innocent, yet so brave. So forgiving no matter what wrongs had been done to him... by her, at least. How could he even think of forgiving her? "I just want you guys to know that I'll do anything to help."

"Thank you, Valerie. We'll need it." Just then, Valerie had come to terms with it. Or as much as she could given the time frame. Danny was going to live again, by some miracle. She never believed in miracles, but she had no objections right now. Danny forgave her, and Tucker, and even Sam. She never thought they'd even consider doing so, and frankly, in her opinion, if it had been just up to Sam, there wouldn't have been an option. But the ghost boy was different. All this time she had been wrong about Danny Phantom. Because his ghost side had all the same heart that his human side did, and she may not have known him as well as Sam or Tucker, but she did know he was a good person. A geek, like he always had been in school, but... a good person nonetheless.

She had forgiven herself, finally, and now she could accept their forgiveness too.

* * *

><p>Outside the window of his sister's room, Danny gave a signal to the others to remain quiet. He had told them beforehand - mainly to explain to Valerie - how Jazz could potentially react, considering he had "disappeared" (who she thought was the real Danny had actually been the clone ever since he had died) 7 hours ago. It was evening now, somewhere around 6:30. The sun was setting and a beautiful array of colors was glimmering across the afternoon sky.<p>

Danny made sure Sam on the ground safely along with Tucker and Valerie - the latter of whom was carrying his human body - before knocking on Jazz's window. He had decided it was probably best to get in alone first, explain a bit of what had happened, and then let the other three in. It took two tries to get Jazz to look up from a thick book labeled _The Psychology of Science. _She peered at the window, and upon seeing it was Danny, she rushed over to it, opening it quickly before embracing him tightly. "Danny, where did you go?" she said in a rush of concern. "You've been gone for hours. Even mom and dad were starting to get worried. And you know them, they never notice any-" She was cut off by Danny's look of trouble.

"What's wrong...?" she asked suddenly. "Did something happen?" Danny nodded and flew in through the window, landing in front of her desk which stood underneath it, and giving her a long stare. "Yes," he answered at first before pausing.

"I can't change back," he finished, waiting to see what she would say after that, so he could judge her reaction before saying anything more.

"How come?" she asked steadily. "Was it one of Dad's machines again? We can get it fixed straight away, if that's the case."

"No, Jazz..." said Danny slowly. "There's more to it than that..."

"Danny, what is it you're not telling me?" asked Jazz, worry causing her large aquamarine eyes to swell to a bigger size.

"Do you... remember how I looked earlier today?" he began.

"Well, yeah, actually... you looked kinda weird. Your eyes were red like if you hadn't gotten any sleep, and I thought I saw a gray hair or two on your scalp, but that was probably just me seeing Danny Phantom or something in my head..." She paused, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because that wasn't me," said Danny.

"What do you mean, it wasn't you?" said Jazz, suspicion in her voice now. "Who else could have... wait, was it Amorpho again?" She asked.

"No, it was a clone," said Danny.

"A clone? You mean like Danielle?"

"Yeah, exactly."

"Okay..." said Jazz, furrowing her eyebrows. "But... how does that have anything to do with you not being able to change back?"

"Because..." Danny sighed out loud, unsure of how his sister would take this, but knowing he had to say it anyways. "He was supposed to be a replacement by Vlad."

"Why would Vlad try to replace you, unless you..." she trailed off, picking up several things in the few moments she allowed silence to pass. "Danny, how long have you been gone? Really?"

"A few days," he answered.

"Did Vlad get you? Did he hurt you?" she said, concern etching her young and intelligent features.

"No, I... Vlad... Vlad revealed my secret to Valerie."

Jazz's eyes widened tremendously. "He did _what?"_

"He put ideas into her head and she uh..."

"Danny, tell me, please. I need to know what happened," she begged with worry.

"She killed me."

A pause so long and loud had ensued that Danny was not even sure Jazz had heard him. After what seemed like almost an hour he said, "...Jazz?" in a tentative voice.

"D-Danny, h-how can you be a-alive?" she asked, the shock still not fading away.

"I'm not. This is just my ghost half... Right now, I'm all ghost." He continued quickly before Jazz could speak up again. "But Clockwork told me that if I merge with my human half fast, I can come back. Because I didn't split completely, and I had been a halfa before..." a dim smile lit his face, and Jazz visibly relaxed, even with the surprise still on her shoulders.

"So what can I do, then?" she asked. "How come you're not whole yet?"

"Well, that's why we need your help..."

"We?"

Danny went towards the window and peered down at the ground, motioning his hand to tell them it was alright to come up. Valerie nodded and clicked her feet together, bringing out her glider again. Tucker moved on it first, carrying Danny's human half, and once Sam had followed him, Valerie got up on it as well and moved towards the window. When they reached it, Valerie moved as close as she possibly could. Sam got off first to alleviate some of the weight, climbing over Jazz's desk and standing beside Danny. "Jazz, please... don't freak out," begged Sam.

"Yeah, Jazz... we _need _you to stay as calm as you can, or not enough to scream, okay? If mom and dad heard you, it'd be a disaster," said Danny.

Jazz nodded as immediately as she could, given she was still working over the whole 'Danny was dead' concept.

With that, Valerie took a step forward on her glider, revealing Tucker, who's arms were beginning to grow numb with having to carry his best friend. He never was the best at gym class, and he wasn't the most physically fit either. If anything, Sam should have been carrying the weight. She had once been his gym partner, and could have done it. Then again, Tucker was known for having a cast iron stomach. He could probably handle the sight and feel of cold, pale skin better than the rest of them.

As soon as he climbed over the desk - with some difficulty, because it was not alone - Jazz visibly shuddered. It took every nerve in her body not to avoid gasping too loudly. She put both hands to her mouth to stifle the small squeak that escaped. It was horrifying. Danny was looking at the ground, practically embarrassed. It was stupid to be, but c'mon. If you had to watch your sister look at your dead body, and make sure she couldn't react badly, wouldn't you wish you could keep her from doing so? But Danny had to tell her, and he had to let her see. It was only her expertise which could possibly save him. As a ghost, he probably could remain here, like some of the others that escaped, but he'd always be bound to the ghost zone, and he'd be forever hunted with no way out of it. And how could he explain things to his parents? Without proof, they'd never believe he and Fenton were once one and the same. They'd think he killed their son, and he wouldn't blame them for thinking such a thing.

Although Valerie had forgiven herself, seeing Jazz having to hold back her distress like this was breaking her on the inside. She kept floating on her glider, unable to look Danny's sister in the eyes. "Jazz, it was my fault. Blame me. You'll never know how sorry I am..."

Jazz was never the type to hold a grudge, but she couldn't help the words that rushed out: "How could you?" A tear rolled down her left cheek, and she leaned over Danny's body - which had been set down on her bed under a towel from the closet. Valerie didn't answer, and turned away in shame.

"Jazz, we've gotten through that," said Danny gently. "But we need your help. We can get through this too, but not without you. I know I'm asking too much, even from the world's smartest to-be Harvard student," Jazz's lips tugged at their ends as she wiped the tear away; she couldn't cry a storm like Sam or Tucker did when they had first seen Danny dead, because frankly, she knew he was with her still - as a ghost, yes - but Sam and Tucker had thought he was gone forever. "but please..." finished Danny, desperately yet calmly.

Jazz nodded slowly, after a few minutes of pounding dead silence. "O-okay," she said, a sniffle causing her to stutter a bit. "What can I do?"

"Can you stitch up the wounds?" asked Sam.

"Well, I'm not a professional, but I think I might be able to-"

"That should work," said Danny.

"But... how will we get Mr. and Mrs. F out of the house?" asked Tucker.

"I'll take care of that," said Valerie. "I'll lure the box ghost out or... find something to keep them busy." She nodded curtly and flew off, wanting to be of use yet not wanting to be the object of rage - no matter how much she deserved it. Jazz seemed to forgive her a bit after that. She hated being angry at anyone for too long, but she was still hurt. Once Danny was better, maybe she could re-evaluate. But for now, she had to get to work.

* * *

><p>25 minutes later, there was a sound outside the house. A blast confirmed Valerie had lured some ghost out of their hiding place. "BEWARE!" shouted the unmistakable voice of the box ghost. "Come <em>on, <em>Jack! Hurry up!" called Maddie from outside the front door. "Coming, honey!" responded Jack, and the two went off after the box ghost in the infamous Fenton RV.

Valerie raced to the window on her glider, saying in a rush, "That should keep them for a few hours. I'll follow them to make sure where they are, and I'll call you guys to warn you if they're headed back." She looked to the street and then back at them, "_Hurry_." With that, she flew off, and Tucker picked up Danny's body again. The three headed to the Fenton's laboratory, hoping beyond all logical reason... that somehow a know-it-all like Jazz would have read up on enough medical journals to accomplish a seemingly impossible feat.

Clockwork had said time was of the essence... every second that went by, another spec of DNA faded from his cold human body... and every second, his chances dwindled further below unattainable. Even if Jazz could pull of stitching his wounds, would Danny be able to survive merging back?


	11. Revival

_Writer's Note: Okay, I just want to apologize fifty times in advance for not updating in an eternity. I feel so bad, guys. Seriously. But, I'm going to try and do so more often, since my period of writer's block is slowly disappearing! I also recently realized (since this was my first fanfic on here), that most people answer all their reviews. I'd also like to do this, to let you guys know how much I appreciate your feedback3 So starting from now, I shall respond to ALL reviews!_

_One more thing! I need your help with the next few chapters. I have a slight idea in mind, but honestly, after this chapter I'm kinda blank on the details of what I should do. Any and all ideas for what I should do for the next chapters are greatly appreciated! I promise to give credit to any I may use! Thanks for reading, and hopefully you guys will enjoy this chapter! (:_

__A full half an hour passed as everyone began setting up for what was soon to occur. Danny and Tucker carried his human half to a table in the lab downstairs, while Sam kept watch near a window in the kitchen to look out for Valerie's warning if she happened to come. Jazz was speed-reading a few sections in her most detailed medical book about the proper method to stitching wounds. She knew the gist of it, but you could never be too careful. And Jazz was the type of girl who preferred to be quick and precise. She hated being wrong or making stupid mistakes.

Once everything was put in place, Jazz nodded to Danny and Tucker, signaling them that it was alright to go out. They both headed out after asking once if she needed them to do anything else. She replied with a polite no, and they headed up the stairs. "Thank you, Jazz..." Danny said softly, once Tucker had already entered the kitchen.

Jazz looked at the ghost form of her little brother and smiled genuinely. "Don't sweat it, Danny. Everything will be perfectly fine."

He managed to send a smile back before also entering the kitchen and joining his two best friends in a small and quiet conversation about things that didn't really matter but took their mind off of the here and now.

* * *

><p>It took another two hours, but finally, Jazz was done. She came upstairs with sweat beading her forehead but a smile on her face. The trio of friends followed her back downstairs, eager to see what she managed to accomplish - since obviously she seemed proud of herself. Jazz tended to be a bit too hard on herself sometimes, so more often than not, Danny noticed she was frustrated rather than happy with her work. To say she was a perfectionist would be more than an understatement.<p>

When the other three teenagers came to look at the table, they noticed that not only was the blood cleaned up, but the stitches were flawlessly done, as if a professional had sewn up Danny's human body themselves. "And you say you _don't_ want to be a surgeon anymore?" said Tucker in awe. Jazz couldn't help but blush at the compliment. "Well, thanks, but I think psychology suits me more."

"We'll see about that," answered Danny, as he touched the arm of his other self. He closed his eyes in anxiety, nervous about what he was supposed to do next. Sam was the first to notice his distress and tense body language. "Danny, are you okay?" she asked quietly. Jazz and Tucker looked up and came closer to Danny as well once they noticed. "Dude, you'll be fine. I know it. You're the strongest person I know! Well, besides Sam, but." He gave a lopsided grin. Danny couldn't help but smile tentatively back. "Thanks, Tuck," he answered.

Jazz put her hand on his and gave him an encouraging smile. "You'll make it, little brother. Clockwork wouldn't have told you this just to give your hopes up, would he?"

Danny nodded to satisfy her, but he couldn't help thinking, _Oh you don't know him like I do..._

After several minutes had passed by, Danny had finally worked up the courage. Just when he made his hand intangible to begin the process of merging back, however, a cry was heard from upstairs. Tucker looked at the others and said quickly, "Keep going, I'll go check it out!" With that he went up, leaving Danny, his sister, and Sam still wondering what had caused the noise. Upstairs, they heard familiar voices speaking. One was no doubt Tucker, the other higher-pitched one was Valerie.

"-come on, Tucker! We've got to hurry! The box ghost escaped and they're on their way back! They'll be here in twenty minutes at the most!"

"Alright, alright, I'll tell them. Can you see if you can stall them any longer?"

"I'll do my best," came the reply, and her glider was heard as she zoomed out the front door.

Tucker came back downstairs, panting, and said, "Guys, we've got to hurry. Danny, your parents are almost here. Valerie said she'd keep them busy as long as she can, but-"

"Got it. Danny, go!" said Sam.

Danny closed his eyes tightly before taking a deep breath and finally turning his entire body intangible. The moment he brought his upper body close, he could feel himself being sucked in - almost like a vortex. It didn't take longer than another second for his ghost half to take over his human one, and once that happened, Danny Fenton's eyes opened, though they were not their natural color. The roots of his hairline on his neck began to turn a pale white color, and his eyes were a fluorescent lime green. The halfa yelled in pain as both his ghost half and his human half struggled against each other, desperate to both merge, but unable to do so.

"What's happening?!" shouted Jazz.

Sam's expression turned into one of concern. "I don't know! Danny- Danny are you alright?" she tried to touch his shoulder, but her friend flinched away, letting out another strangled cry of pain. Just then, Valerie came into the lab, looking more than nervous. She tried not to look at the scene as she shouted into nothingness, "We've only got fifteen minutes!"

Jazz shook her head. "No, we need more time!"

Valerie got closer and for the first time seemed to notice the form which she had so brutally murdered. Now it was thrashing about, as Danny tried desperately to cling to life and death at the same time. "What's wrong with him?" she asked out of actual concern for her... friend. Could she even call him that after all she'd done- yes. Yes she could. She needed to forgive herself. Danny had, and even Sam, Tucker, and Jazz had. So could she.

"We don't know," said Tucker in a panicked tone.

After five more minutes of unbearable yelling from Danny, he finally went still. Jazz, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie all paled when this happened, and all stayed entirely immobile, afraid to check for a pulse for fear their friend may have died for real this time. Jazz finally managed to get up the courage to do it. She put two fingers on his neck under his chin, gulping nervously before feeling closely.

A horrible minute passed as all four of them expected the worst news. "He's..." Jazz began.

"No..." said Sam. "No, please..."

Tucker had no words, and Valerie turned her head away with regret.

"He's going to make it," finished Jazz, and the smallest of tears escaped her eye before her lips broke into a huge smile. "He has a pulse... he's going to make it!" She said, reassuring herself that the worst was over now as much as the others.

Sam immediately turned and hugged Tucker, both of the friends more than thankful for the miracle. Then Sam turned to Valerie and said, "I don't usually say these kinds of things but... I... forgive you."

Valerie turned towards her and had to blink several times, not only at the news that Danny would make it, but because Sam was... actually _saying _that she forgave her? "I- I... thanks, Sam." Sam gave her the smallest of smiles before turning back to Danny, holding his hands as he lay unconscious.

"We've got to hurry and get him up to his room so he can rest before my parents come home," said Jazz. Tucker and Sam nodded, picking Danny up and carrying him to his room. Valerie followed, opening the door to his room once they had made it all the way there. Jazz went to the front door in order to make sure her parents wouldn't go straight up there. She was currently formulating a story about where Danny was and why he would be going to bed so early on a Friday night. In the meantime, Sam and Tucker stayed with Danny. Valerie did too.

He would be okay. That was the important thing... the worst was over.

Or... so they thought.


	12. Plan

_Oh. my. god. I cannot even begin to explain to you guys in words how horribly sorry I am. I won't even try giving excuses. All I have to say is that, as I mentioned in the previous chapter, I was having trouble thinking of plot ideas. I kinda have one now, though I haven't worked out the details (if you guys have any ideas, feel free to throw them out there!), but still... I feel awful. flajhrelj. I hadn't expected it to take me this long to think of what to write, and honestly, I'm ashamed. But I hope you guys still read the chapter anyway and forgive me! No matter how long it takes me to get up chapters, I promise I won't leave this story unfinished!_

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><p>A dark figure was hard at work in the confines of his secret laboratory. He was calculating, formulating, working out the ticks of an ingenious plan. Of course, his plan could not fail. He had made sure of that from the start. It was all very simple. Have the girl kill Daniel, then he's out of the way. Have his new son take Daniel's place, then have Daniel 2.0 kill Jack Fenton. Then Maddie would come crawling to him, with her "son" in tow, crying to him, Vlad Plasmius, of how the evil ghost boy had terminated the poor Jack Fenton.<p>

Granted, he wished he would not have to deal with that part of his master plan, but then… no plan could be singularly perfect. Once she was done grieving, however, she would quickly realize the affections she had for him, and then… Then! He would finally have the family he always wanted. He would have the perfect and obedient son, he would have the most beautiful and loving wife… he would have everything. It was all set in motion. One step was done, and another? It was currently being fulfilled. Or… so the older half-ghost thought.

Just as he had finally found a solution to all the possible flaws with his plan – which were rare in occurrence – his son flew straight through the walls, looking troubled in appearance. This put Vlad on edge from the start of their now budding conversation. "Daniel… what brings you back here so soon, my boy?" he asked neutrally. As was the norm with Vlad, he composed his expression to one of complete calm, taking care to make it sound as if he believed nothing could be wrong.

Daniel 2.0 scratched the back of his neck in nervousness, wondering just how he should mention the sudden problem to his father. "Well, uh…"

"There wasn't a problem, was there, hmm?" asked Vlad, giving his signature smirk, accompanied by the raising of an eyebrow as if challenging the teenager to disagree.

"Well, uh… father… it seems as though…"

Vlad's smirk was lost as well as his raised eyebrows. Instead, they now scrunched together in a condescending sort of expression. Oh no, this couldn't be good news. Though he tried his best not to explode on Daniel 2.0 – look how well it turned out the last time he yelled at a clone – it was difficult not to still be seething underneath. That showed very well as he grit out as calmly as possible, "I'm sorry, Daniel. I'm afraid I didn't catch that. It sounds as though something went wrong?"

Daniel 2.0 nodded, but he did not speak beyond that.

Vlad was becoming impatient. Why couldn't the boy just speak up already? "Will you spit it out, then?" he said in a louder, more commanding tone.

Daniel picked up on that straight away, his nervousness betraying him as he nearly stuttered towards the beginning of his explanation. "Well, it seems as though Danny… I mean the… original," he spoke the last word with distaste – he was the original as far as anyone else was concerned! "He's… not dead."

Vlad didn't know what to think at first. The first thought to cross his mind was that surely, his son was trying out some new joke. He couldn't possibly be serious. But then… he found that the boy seemed to be telling the truth. That's why he was suddenly so nervous. Vlad's eyes narrowed to slits as he mulled over his options. Curses! Out of all the possible flaws, he had never foreseen this one. What a fool he'd been to overlook the fact that Valerie might not have had the guts to kill Daniel Fenton after all. Stupid girl.

"How can this be?" he asked, angry yet trying to remain calm despite the rising insanity he felt licking at his mind.

Daniel 2.0 floated as close as he dared to his father as he explained, "I heard the humans talking. They said something about how the hunter girl had killed him, but he came back. He wasn't the same, though."

Ignoring a certain fact for the moment, Vlad decided to target the main point of Daniel's explanation before scolding him about this little incident. "Not the same? How do you mean, boy?"

"He mentioned something about how he couldn't change back. His ghost half was separated from his human one."

"And?" urged Vlad.

Daniel looked away for a moment before replying, "They started talking about merging back his two halves. After that, though, they left. I don't know what happened."

Vlad didn't look at Daniel and instead took an interest in the floor, calculating just exactly what was going on here- Aha! He grinned savagely, the fangs of his ghost half becoming all too visible. "My my, how fascinating. It seems we just can't purge Daniel Fenton from our realm after all…"

Daniel 2.0 tilted his head, replying, "Father, what do you mean?"

"Quiet, Daniel!" Daniel 2.0 jolted at his father's voice and sighed, still floating for fear that if he came down, Vlad might do something worse than just yell at him. Even so, Vlad proceeded to answer Daniel's question anyway – if only in mutters to himself. "It seems as though Valerie has done her job… Daniel died, however came back as a ghost. This is a setback, yes. By now he'll surely have attempted to merge back with his human half. That could only work, however, if his human body not only was healed of its wounds but still had remnants of his ghost side within it. Tough coincidences, in the very least…" He turned back towards his son, who waited patiently for his father's next words.

"Don't think I have forgotten that you failed in your task, Daniel." Daniel 2.0's shoulders sagged in defeat, remembering all too well. Vlad continued, ignoring this. "Not only have you failed in killing Jack Fenton, but you were thwarted by whom? Phantom and his accomplices? And you did not fight?"

"But father, I did fight! I-"

"Enough! Excuses, excuses, Daniel." Daniel 2.0 shut up as soon as Vlad had cut him off, floating down the floor and reverting back to his human half. Somehow, his hair had gotten worse. The gray roots had become more prominent, and the whites of his eyes flared a nearly red color – to the point where it made his irises seem almost brackish-blue. A teal shade. It looked as if he was falling apart.

"We will discuss this later. Now, there is work to be done. If Daniel Fenton succeeds, then we need something to counteract him. Permanently."

"B-but, how are you going to do that, father? If you kill him again, won't he be able to just do the same thing as before?" Daniel 2.0 asked hesitantly. He knew he was walking on thin ice at the moment. He didn't want to push his luck and make it crack.

"Oh, that's doubtful, but good speculation nonetheless." Vlad turned towards the ghost portal and said with a grin, "No. I have something better in mind. We aren't going to kill the boy. We're going to trap him."

"Trap him?"

The grin became wider, as if it were some crevice that had been through an earthquake recently. The individual rocks crumbling down until there was nothing but a gaping hole – or in this case, smile. "In his nightmares. For all eternity." Vlad reverted back to his human form, that evil grin shrinking to just a smirk now as he raised his cuff to his face. He spoke into it with an authority-like tone, but it also seemed happy… or as happy as a fruit loop can be, one could suppose.

"You know what to do," he breathed into his communicator, and suddenly the doors opened, revealing an unrealistically tall figure, clad in black. A whinny resounded through the lab walls, sounding more like a screech than something a natural horse would utter. But then, the horse was dead, a ghost. How could it ever sound natural? It's teeth were purged out like fangs, making it look almost as frightening as its rider.

The ghost mounted atop the horse bowed, confirming he did indeed know what to do. Huge bat-shaped wings, comparable to that of a demon's spread out to cover nearly the whole of the wall as the horse knelt down towards the ground, then sprung to take off. Both equine and rider drove through the walls using intangibility, and with that, Vlad's laughter could be heard echoing across the lab.

"Oh, Daniel… you're through. You can't possibly win now."


	13. Peace

Valerie had left the Fenton's not long after Jazz had begun talking to Jack and Maddie at the door. Danny's older sister had managed to strike a distracting conversation with ease, asking her mother whether she had any time in her busy ghost-hunting career to review her newest psychology thesis for errors. Of course, there weren't any, and she didn't actually need Maddie to look it over, but it took up a bit of their time nonetheless.

As Maddie scrolled through the tedious pages of Jazz's thesis, located on her personal laptop for the moment, Jack had taken to rummmaging through the fridge in an attempt to find the remnants of the fudge he had nearly finished the day before. As Maddie finished reading Jazz's documents, she smiled at her daughter warmly, handing her back the laptop as she said, "It sounds great, sweetie." She then began busying herself with preparing dinner.

Jazz took the chance of her parents' occupation in the kitchen to see what the situation was upstairs. She travelled up pretty fast, leaving her laptop on the desk in her room before heading towards her brother's. Upon stepping through the open doorway, Jazz could see both Sam and Tucker sitting against the walls near Danny's bed. Danny was passed out and sleeping soundly, and Jazz could immediately tell that he wasn't the only one who was exhausted. She could see the slump of Tucker's shoulders and the restless expression that laid in Sam's eyes. They had been worried sick for too long a time. Jazz had been too, but... She would never admit it, or at least she would never make it obvious.

She smiled faintly, turning off the light and giving Sam a smile. Tucker had dozed off in the few minutes she had been in the room, and Sam smiled back at her. Jazz could see peace in her eyes. A tired peace. As if her world had been taped together and was mending itself slowly, using the tape as a crutch - not too long after being shattered into a million broken pieces.

With that, Jazz crept out the room and closed the door, returning to her parents who she meant to keep busy for the remainder of the evening.

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><p>The next few days were concerning, to say the least. Jazz especially knew how fragile Danny's life was going to be over the course of his recovery. He had made it through the worst, yes, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. But so far - two days later - all seemed well. It was currently the afternoon, and Jazz had finally convinced Danny to eat more than just breakfast for the day. He'd been refusing lunch and dinner previously on account of a gentle stomach as well as a faint headache. Jazz had let it go then, but now, it was time to crack down a bit.<p>

Her brother was getting much better, and his face had much of the color - though he had always been a bit pale - returned to it. She smiled at him now, making idle conversation as he finished up some leftover pasta from the fridge. "How are you feeling, little brother?" she asked Danny as an attempt to fill in the silence.

"Better. A lot better," replied the halfa, smiling up genuinely at his sister. Though in the past he had always found her repetitive worry irritating, now he almost appreciated it. It was nice to know that he still has his family and friends, even in his worst hours. That was his greatest fear, after all... Not to have them there to catch him when he fell.

"I'm glad," said Jazz, just as Danny finished the spaghetti. She stood halfway up from her chair before she was stopped, however, by Danny himself. Her younger brother waved his hand in a "I got this" gesture before picking up his plate and taking it to the sink. Jazz stood up fully before raising an eyebrow, the slightest quirk of a smile to the edge of her lips. "Are you sure you don't want me to do it? You hate washing the dishes, and well..." She trailed off, for once unsure of what else to say besides the obvious.

Danny chuckled lightly, "Jazz, stop worrying. I'm fine. See?" He held up the dripping plate which was only half covered in soap so far. "And I don't think washing one of the dishes is too much of a strain. Besides, it's almost my turn anyway."

Jazz sighed faintly, giving up on the over-protective sister movement. For now... "Alright, alright. But if you feel dizzy, light-headed, anything, you come to me, okay little brother?"

Danny nodded, grinning, just as he dried off the plate and put it back with the others. "You got it, _mom._" He chuckled as Jazz playfully bumped his shoulder, responding with a mockingly offended tone, "Hey!"

It was quite the warming spectacle... Here Jazz had her brother, who was supposed to die but had miraculously been brought back. His wounds were healing steadily, and both his human and ghost halves still remained in tact. It seemed that almost nothing could go wrong. They would be fine, now. Though Jazz had always been one to believe in probability and the study of psychology, this was one time she had to throw her hands up and let the world admit it was right. Maybe there were miracles in the world. Maybe it wasn't just all calculations and scientific mumbo jumbo. After all, everything according to what was supposed to be normal said that ghosts didn't exist. And yet here they were, living in one of the most - if not, _the _most - haunted towns in America. Science was secondary. For now, Jazz was just happy she had her brother back.

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><p>As the sun set and the moon took advantage of its absence, the stars dazzled throughout the darkened skies. Danny had been in his room for the past half an hour, simply gazing out at them. Oh, how he wished to be an astronaut. He had always sworn he'd make it someday - high average grades or not. For despite the fact that he was always trying to do his best to protect the town and the people he loved - and some whom he really disliked - he couldn't help but feel... incomplete. As if there was a hole within his heart that needed to be filled. Or not truly a hole, but... a missing piece. Danny felt relaxed when he was flying, and it was where he drew his peace from many a time. A sudden thought occurred to him, making him wonder. Though he'd thought about it many times, he had never realized the smallest details. What if he hadn't become Danny Phantom in the first place? Besides the obvious, he'd never be able to fly... to feel that freedom that came with the wind which gusted through his pale white hair. The current of the air which flowed against his ghostly form... he'd never have been able to feel any of it. It made him respect what he sometimes viewed as a curse in a whole new perspective.<p>

The halfa looked behind him towards the door; Jazz had been studying in her room the last Danny knew of. His parents were downstairs working on something in the lab. They'd been down there a while, but it wasn't really surprising. They tended to do that when they thought they were getting close to a breakthrough. He and Jazz had gotten used to it by now. Nevertheless, it provided a perfect opportunity.

A white ellipse formed around his torso, making Danny smile with pleasure as he thought about how good it would feel to finally fly after what felt like centuries. His everyday clothes were replaced with a familiar black and white jumpsuit. Those crystal blue eyes of his suddenly were enveloped in an acidic green color, with white strands of hair covering them in various spots. Danny looked out the window in preparation, closing his eyes for a moment before finally stepping onto the frame of it. He leaped away, rejoicing in the pure rush which free-fallers do. Though he was nothing of the sort now, was he? Danny found himself grinning almost mischievously as he halted his descent only feet away from the pavement. He proceeded to rocketing skywards at a leisurely sort of speed, and as he reached a prime vantage point of Amity Park, he stopped and floated, gazing at its wonder.

Though this town was small, it was what Danny called home. And he was determined to continue protecting it no matter the cost. As long as he had his friends and family by his side, there was nothing he couldn't succeed in. There was no foe who he couldn't prevail - eventually - against. And there was nothing and no one he would ever allow to put his loved ones in harm's way. Nothing in this world- no, this universe, could bring him down right now. And as he floated there, admiring the free flow of the wind against his form and the few buildings whose lights had not died out yet, a sound echoed across the houses of the neighborhood beneath him.

He was only a few streets from his home, but a new feeling in his gut told Danny that it had been a mistake to leave. Though the peace he had felt only seconds ago had been worth it then, the sound he suddenly recognized was not a price he was willing to pay in order to feel this light-weighted freedom. Or was it? He had vowed never to let anything stand in the way of his loved ones or his spirit again, and yet here he was wishing he had never gone out in the first place. But then... it would have happened anyway, wouldn't it? Nothing could ever be just happiness. Or when it was, it ended so quickly it felt as if the happiness had been snuffed out like nothing more than a candle.

The piercing cry of a ghostly equine made itself heavily known, and Danny braced himself for what he knew now was inevitable. Though he - in truth - was a bit surprised at the foe he knew he would see in a matter of seconds now, he supposed he shouldn't have been. After all, if Vlad really was behind everything that had happened to him with Valerie, then it shouldn't be so shocking to discover he had yet another ghost who owed him a favor doing his dirty work.

As the moon lit brightly overhead, the stars in its ever-present wake, Danny Phantom's eyes opened determinedly. He refused to back down now, even as he was faced with a foe he hadn't seen since Pariah Dark's awakening and re-hibernation. The air around him seemed to chill, and a breath of fog escaped his lips to alert him that a ghost was nearby - not that he didn't already know. His gaze flitted towards the figure which now presented itself a ways down the street he floated so humbly over. "Come to finish me off?" he asked, a tone of mockery to his voice.

"After this is done, my debt shall be repaid," replied the figure, whose horse unfurled its bat-like wings with savage intentions.

"Well," said Danny, looking straight into the eyes of the Fright Knight, "I'm afraid you're going to have to ask the bank for a loan. Because whatever debt you have which involves me isn't getting paid tonight." And there it was, the final sign that Danny's recovery - though not completed - was close to its end. He had his old joking air about him now, and even though he knew the fight to come was going to be difficult, for some strange reason... he felt that fate had tipped the scale to his favor. Maybe, just this once, he could win without any special conditions to mar his victory.


	14. Inbetween

The ghost boy soon enough became but a blur of motion, as Danny plummeted through the air towards the Fright Knight. The ghost in question, however, maneuvered his horse to fly just directly overhead. Flying straight past where the Fright Knight had just been, Danny stopped in mid-air and groaned inwardly. Couldn't any of the ghosts he fought just be straight forward? If they came for a fight, why didn't they just fight instead of- Oof!

Caught off guard, Danny found himself rocketing back down to earth as he landed with a sickening thud. Above him was his opponent, who grinned malevolently – his sword having been the blunt object which struck the halfa down.

Soon enough, Danny flew out from the crater that had just been made beneath him from the crash. Speeding towards the Fright Knight again, he threw ectoblast after ectoblast, the green energy radiating within his palms and shooting out towards his foe. Though the Fright Knight managed to avoid the first two, the third hit him point blank. His horse screeched in surprise as its rider was thrown separately.

Danny smirked in satisfaction as he headed straight for the Fright Knight. Thinking on his feet – or rather, where his feet _should _have been, considering he was flying in a rush of speed at the moment and his ghost tail was showing instead – Danny threw three more ectoblasts at the already dazed Fright Knight.

It was just enough to send the guy barreling towards the ground, creating another crater to challenge the one Danny had just flown out of. Staring at the form which was standing up now, Danny continued to float above the ground, not chancing a sneak attack from the horse that seemed to be waiting above them for its rider. The equine in question bared its fangs at the halfa, and Danny winced inwardly before focusing his attention on the fight at hand.

It didn't take much longer for the knight to invariably revert to his best defense: his sword. Unsheathing the deadly, green and glowing weapon, the Fright Knight laughed more to himself than anything and swung forwards with a mighty grip. Danny barely had time to maneuver out of the way, flying upwards in order to dodge the attack.

He thought it strange that the iron clad ghost wasn't trying to swing again until he realized why, a bit too late to escape. The demonic looking horse came galloping towards him through the air, and with a fell swoop, slashed Danny's backside with its frontal hooves. Danny cried out in pain, looking at his shoulder which was now bloody and torn.

The teen grit his teeth and set his jaw as he tried to compose himself for the next clash, and thankfully he'd taken enough time off to recuperate over the past few days for his ghost healing to come back into play again.

Danny's eyebrows lowered as his annoyance started to take hold. This guy had been a pain in his butt for too long now. It was time to show him why it wasn't wise to mess with Danny Phantom – or Danny Fenton for that matter.

Fuming, the ghost kid zoomed forwards, creating a sword of ice within his palms as he rocketed across the sky. He soon enough found himself looming over the Fright Knight, who had also decided that taking to the sky was in his best interest. The two shot forwards with swords in hand, feinting this way and darting that. The Fright Knight's precision was pristine; it seemed his moves could not be matched.

Danny's sword cracked after a few minutes, as his opponent's sword slashed through his own and the ice crumbled to snowflakes. Danny gasped inwardly, trying to create another sword but only having formed one a few seconds before he was whammed to the ground once more. In a blind fury, the halfa picked himself up and stood firm, preparing for the attack that may very well be do or die – and hopefully not literally this time.

With a huge intake of breath, Danny let out his most powerful attack: his ghostly wail. Teams of sound waves suddenly appeared from their source, sprouting like wild fire and moving towards their targets. Like crashes of the ocean's shore against a beach, the waves refused to stop, slamming the Fright Knight and his steed with no mercy.

The Fright Knight groaned in pain as well as anger, managing the strength to whistle loudly to his peculiar horse. The animal spirit nodded furiously before vanishing into thin air. Danny thought it highly unusual that this was possible within the walls of his ghost wailing, but he ignored it for the moment, choosing instead to now focus all his attention on the Fright Knight.

Huge mistake.

Without any other warning, Danny screamed apart from the ghostly wail. His attack against the Fright Knight immediately broke as he fell to his knees in agony. The black ghost stallion was just behind him, whinnying with delight as the Fright Knight came just towards Danny, his sword in hand. Albeit, he was stumbling quite a bit before he got his proper footing. But it didn't take long for him to regain it once more.

"It is over, ghost child," said the Fright Knight fretfully, as he brandished his sword to slice through Danny's core. Danny was doubled over in pain, as the wounds he had sustained from the horse bled anew. Maybe this wasn't supposed to go well after all. The ghost boy growled in irritation. The Fright Knight was nothing; if he was up to par with his strength and recovery, he could have beaten him by now and sent his butt packing back into the ghost zone!

Suddenly a voice interrupted the Fright Knight's swing. Just as the sword came down, slashing into Danny's arm, Jazz appeared at the other side of the street, yelling, "Say goodbye, medieval vermin!" Oh geez, that was so Jazz. Danny would have been laughing had he not been in total turmoil.

Just then a brilliant flash of light sucked both the Fright Knight and his equine partner into the Fenton thermos, and soon afterwards, Danny could see Jazz running towards him for support. Danny's vision soon became impaired, however, as his surroundings started to change.

Before him now was broad daylight, as everything seemed to glitch. His older, evil self stood before him, cackling. "You can't escape your _destiny_, Danny. You will always, inevitably, become me." Just then, fire appeared from all sides, and Danny was held back by his future self – the one who was supposed to be gone – as his sister was consumed by the flames. "NO!" he yelled in a sickeningly strangled cry.

"Danny, Danny! Snap out of it! Come on, little brother!" He heard Jazz speaking out of the corners of his subconscious. "J-Jazz… no…" he let out in distress, his eyes watering. "Danny, it's okay. You're alright."

The halfa blinked and suddenly the world became normal again. His future self was gone, the flames were nonexistent. And Jazz was standing over him, cradling him in her arms. "I've called Tucker and Sam," she told him. "They're on their way." She looked at the huge gash that now resided on Danny's arm.

"What happened? I thought you were dying a second ago," said Danny painfully – though not the physical sort of pain. He was trembling beneath Jazz's grip.

Jazz looked shocked, but it was a sad sort of surprised expression. So his worst fears were losing his family? She should have known… "Danny… the… the Fright Knight cut your arm with his sword before I was able to get to you."

Danny's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Wait, so does that mean…? What, how come I'm not in that alternate dimension it's supposed to take me to?"

"Well… I think you're flickering in and out of it," Jazz explained sympathetically.

Danny was at a loss for words. "But…"

Jazz explained further. "Sam said that the book about the Fright Knight she had when you guys first came across him explained the sword. How it only takes victims to the alternate dimension if they're sliced through the middle with it."

"So… so, what? I'm stuck in between then?" replied Danny nervously.

"I was hoping not, but… from what you just told me… It looks like I'm wrong. And I'm sorry, Danny. You know how much I hate being wrong…"


	15. Seams

_Author's Note: I wrote this on my iPad, so forgive me if there are any errors I may have overlooked. Anyways, here's the next chapter, guys! Hope you enjoy, and thanks so much for all the reviews! :D_

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><p><em>It's not fair... <em>thought the clone, as he found himself pacing back and forth within one of the innumerable rooms of Vlad Masters's mansion. Daniel, the apparently unoriginal one, was tired of being second rate. He was tired of being scolded for every small thing he did wrong. Why couldn't he have a life like the original Danny? He had everything made for him, handed to him on a silver platter! Okay... Maybe not _everything_, but the point still stood. Why were others blessed with miracles when he was thrown to the back of the world, not treated the way he knew he should be. Had he been the real Danny, yeah there would have been arguments between his father and himself, but Vlad would have been kinder... More... Fatherly. Now? He was like a whip, ready to punish the clone for every turn out of line. And he was becoming sick of it. All be ever wanted was to stay on that line. But sometimes one began to lose their balance, for a tightrope can only remain so thick before the wear of your shoes began to wear it down into but a sliver of hope. And that's if you even had shoes to begin with. Or proper balance, for that matter.

Locking his fingers through one another behind his head, Daniel couldn't help but struggle with his own emotions. He brought his fingers through his hair and was surprised to find a strand of red left still in his sweaty palms. But... That was his hair. His hair was supposed to be black right now. Father- Vlad, had told him there may be a few mishaps here and there in terms of appearance, but... Red hair?

The clone walked slowly, almost hesitantly, to the mirror across the room. And as he studied his appearance, Daniel couldn't help but gape. His skin seemed paler than what was normal, and his eyes were such a teal shade of blue that they seemed unnaturally colored. Red the color of blood rimmed his irises, indicating that they were the source of the sharp contrast involving his eyes. The crimson shade also marred the roots of his hair, as the teenager bowed his head towards the mirror in order to get a better look at it. The gray strands of hair he had assumed were just an issue of his ghost and human form interchanging with each other had turned into that sleek hue of red as well, and by now Daniel couldn't help but wonder if he was indeed falling apart like so many of the clones Vlad had tried to create before him. But he was supposed to be successful! And he was supposed to be victorious alongside his father.

And yet... Even that feeling seemed to be ebbing away. The unoriginal Daniel suddenly felt himself calling into question everything Vlad had ever told him. And he wondered, vaguely, how it was that the original Danny and his friends were so close. That he would be willing to put his life on the line - literally - to save them. And then a final thought entered Daniel's head, as he sat upon the bed in the center of the room which he was now beginning to think was a prison: What was happening to him? What was he becoming?

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><p>At about the same time, the original Danny found himself struggling. But it wasn't because of an identity crisis. He'd had one of those before, and it was no picnic in the park. This, however, was much worse a fate to be experiencing.<p>

He'd passed out on his bed, not even able to keep up the strength to maintain his ghost half whilst climbing through the window. Jazz, Sam, and Tucker had followed his lead as quick as their feet could carry them through the front door. Jazz had ignored her mother's concerned question on whether or not everything was alright, only bothering to mutter something about her stress involving an exam later that week as a pathetic excuse. Upon bursting through the door to Danny's room, Jazz had immediately blanched at the state of him, and she found herself running straight across to the bathroom down the hall, grabbing a wet towel in her wake.

Sam's eyebrows knit together in confusion. She'd only got bits and pieces of the full story, and she doubted either Jazz or Danny were in right states to mention every detail at the current moment. But for now, she knew enough. Danny was in a limbo. He'd be stuck in between his nightmares and reality forever, unless they figured a way out of it. And though Sam thought she knew the solution, without Danny there to help, it was going to be a dangerous feat at best.

Jazz had only just managed to suck the Fright Knight into the thermos, and all four of the teenagers in the room knew that wouldn't last. There was a reason you couldn't use the thermos against ghosts like him, like Pariah Dark, and others of the sort. They were just too strong. And when he managed to break free of the thermos, then they'd have an even bigger problem on their hands. They'd be facing the prospect of losing Danny forever to his own irrational fears. But then... Perhaps they weren't so irrational. According to their friend, they'd almost all died. And he never talked about his evil older self since the time at which all of it had happened. Perhaps it still haunted him to this day. That thought alone caused Sam to frown in sympathy. The things their best friend went through were way too much for any normal teen- no, any normal _person_ handle. And even now, neither Sam nor Tucker was entirely sure how to help. Because the only way they knew to rid Danny of his struggle was going to be difficult - _at best_ - to accomplish.

Jazz was holding a cold towel to her brother's forehead, her eyes watching him in nervous worry as he shook, beginning to sweat profusely. His mind was in a heap of unknown, and the halfa didn't know how to handle it. He found himself opening his eyes only to see the fire consume the walls he'd grown up in, his friends screaming in agony as an explosion rocked the top half of their home. And Danny could do nothing but idly lie there, watching the life face from their faces. He cried out in vain, only to be snapped back to the infinitely happier reality.

The flames dissipated. The NASA posters in his room finally came back into focus, and Danny saw with agonizing happiness that his friends and sister were all by his side, watching with worried eyes. "Thank goodness..." He breathed, resting his head against his pillow with a heavy heart. Tucker looked at his best friend sadly. "You okay, dude?"

Danny sighed, as if trying to point out that the inquiry wasn't even valid to be asked. Tucker looked down at his shoes, a bit ashamed. "Sorry, standard question..." Danny shook his head. "I'll be fine," he murmured unconvincingly. All three knew that tone of voice. The one Danny used to try and mask the pain he felt, when he needn't mask it at all. "We need to get to the lab," said Jazz in a rush. "We don't have much time."

"I know," Sam answered. She turned to Tucker, who looked visibly nervous as the goth asked, "You know what we need to do, right?"

The techno-geek nodded, finally accepting it. It didn't matter what the risks were. Danny had laid down his life for them, and he wasn't going to let that go to waste and he certainly wouldn't allow his friend to suffer when there was a way that they could save him. Even still, he hoped that luck could come back to their side, just this one last time. "Unfortunately, yeah. I do."

* * *

><p>Masters was livid with anger. How many ghosts and humans alike would he need to bring down that brat once and for all? It seemed the wonders never ceased. Or as Vlad was preferring to call them, 'minor hindrances to his ultimate plan'. He would be damned if a soon-to-be fifteen year old boy was going to stop him. He would succeed. Daniel Fenton couldn't possibly stand in his way.<p>

Still, with a large sigh, the billionaire brought his forefingers to his face, pinching his nose in a attempt to avoid the headache he could feel on the verge of introduction. He needed time to think of a new solution, but then a nagging suspicion tore a hole in his formulations. Was there truly any way to kill Daniel for? Or get him out of the way? Surely, all he could ever be was an annoyance. He could never actually face Vlad Plasmius and _win_.

But it did leave the ever present question: how would he carry out his plan if the original Danny was out and about? Yes indeed, the bugs Vlad had placed all around Amity Park had caught the entirety of the teenager's battle against the Fright Knight. And so the villain knew that the younger halfa was injured. Mentally, at the least.

Certainly, it would be easy enough to execute his plan regardless, but being the meticulous planner that he was, Vlad would have none of that. He knew any single loose strand could cause his whole world of fantasy to fall apart at the seams. But he was determined to complete his ultimate goal. And so it was with that same determination that the billionaire called to his 'son' over the ear piece communications system he'd made sure to put in place.

* * *

><p>Daniel, the unoriginal, duplicate version, had just found peace and was silently drifting off to dreamland, when he was interrupted by a sharp voice through his earpiece. It was a bit like a Bluetooth device in design, but he knew its importance was far greater than that. With a silent sigh, the teen's eyes fluttered open and he found himself swinging his legs off the bed he'd become so comfortable in for the past hour.<p>

"Daniel, come to the laboratory. We have much to discuss," he heard his father- no, Masters, say.  
>The clone looked at the floor with uncertainty before finally replying, a few seconds later, "Yes, father. I'll be there right away."<p>

And with that, the halfa who was falling apart by the day shifted forms and intangibly flew through the floor downstairs. And still, even as the black hair with red strands turned white, the crimson remained. And the second Danny Fenton wondered silently, fearfully even, what if _he_ was falling apart at the seams?

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><p><em>Looks like this story will be coming to an end soon! Remember to review guys. It's what keeps me going with this story. Thanks so much!<em>


	16. Desperation

_AN: Thank you guys so much for over 100 reviews! It seriously means the world to me to get so much support for this little story, and I apologize (again) for my immensely slow updates, but I will finish this story eventually, promise! Anyway, just wanted to say thanks, again, because it's the reviews and favorites and support that make it worthwhile. (:_

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><p>They weren't sure just how much longer the thermos could hold him. The metal contraption the teens had all come to trust so thoroughly was literally cracking, ready to burst apart with the enraged form of the Fright Knight any second now. Despite, therefore, their hesitance to leave Danny struggling in his room alone, they had to do it. This was the only way to save him... it was the only thing they could think to do. Without his help, however, it would be difficult - if not, nearly impossible - to manage. They just had to hope that some sprinkle of luck was on their side. Judging by past events, that didn't seem likely, but neither Jazz nor Tucker nor Sam could help but think that Danny would have a different outlook. As sarcastic as their friend and brother seemed to be at times, and even with all the puns and joking negativity, everyone who truly knew Danny also knew that he had a heart of gold. He liked to think the best of people, and he tried to joke about dire situations. And sometimes...<p>

Things like that sometimes worried Jazz. Danny wasn't perfect; if there was one thing she learned from her psychology studies, it was that imperfection was a flaw everyone had, some more than most. He was the type to hold everything in, the tragic hero. And though he'd never outright say it, Jazz knew better than anyone else ever could that Danny was willing to lose his life - the half that was still alive, anyway - to save the ones he cared about. And though his immediate family and friends would always top that list, sometimes Jazz was concerned that the ghostly obsession he'd obtained collided far too often with this part of him. His saving the town, that is. He wanted, no _needed_, to protect Amity Park. Where he'd been willing to risk himself for the ones he loved before, now that trait expanded to include the entire city. He gave people too many chances, and he saw too much good in people. And that, Jazz knew, would get him killed one day. It actually already did. Thank god it hadn't been permanent...

But Jazz couldn't keep thinking about that now. Despite her tendency to ramble about psychology, even in her own mind when no one else was willing to listen, she had to focus now. This was important. If they couldn't get rid of the Fright Knight, Danny would be hurting forever. And Jazz couldn't stand to see her brother like that. He didn't deserve that. He deserved better than that. Better than all of it.

It took a few painfully worry-filled minutes for the three teens to arrive at the lab. It was late enough at night that both Jack and Maddie had fallen asleep. For the past few days, Jazz had managed to convince her parents that Danny had come down with some form of a cold. She insisted that they see him as little as possible, so he could get better faster. They had agreed eventually, feeling confident in their daughter's prognosis as it stood.

Jazz stood by the door, making sure that they didn't wake up, regardless. Tucker held the thermos in his darker hands, trying desperately not to let the sweat of his palms allow it to slip through his fingers. All they needed at this point was for him to accidentally drop the thermos, providing the momentum the Fright Knight needed to finally break free. Tucker, however, in an attempt to avoid such a catastrophe, immediately put it down on the nearest table. He looked up at the huge containment unit the Fentons had recently set up, made of firm fiber glass. It was virtually unbreakable to a ghost. But... then again, so was the thermos... _virtually_ was the key word here. Any ghost that was powerful enough could eventually crack the walls, and that was why Danny had to always beat the ghosts first before sucking them into the device. Jazz had always wondered what the point of it was, and when he explained it to her, she finally understood. That was why the timing of this was absolutely urgent. Because not a single one of them could fight ghosts like Danny could and win, especially when it was the Fright Knight. Danny hadn't gotten a chance to weaken him enough before Jazz had sucked him into the thermos, and while the trio could certainly hold their own if they were attacked, they wouldn't last long, and that much was evident.

Sam quickly took over, gently shoving Tucker out of the way. Jazz flicked her eyes back and forth between the lab and the hallway, suddenly fearing her parents would come down the hall because of the noise. All she could hope for was that Jack's snoring - which often times could be compared to a freight train - would muffle anything that happened down here. She looked back to what Sam was up to, noting how she picked up the thermos with a sense of urgency and uncapped it. Tucker looked horribly concerned, as if the Fright Knight would pop out any second, now that the cap was no longer acting as a barrier.

But Sam paid him no notice. "Would you calm down, Tuck?" She asked offhandedly, not even bothering to turn around as she twisted the thermos onto the tube of the containment unit. "Remember we're doing this for Danny." She looked back, then, taking a deep breath and glancing at the control panel. A huge red button glared at all three of them with threatening eyes, no doubt Jack's handy work. After all, the big oaf probably pressed the wrong buttons if they _weren't_ blinking and red.

She looked at Jazz, finally, as if asking the older girl whether it was the right time. "We only have one shot at this..." she muttered. Jazz gave her consent, replying confidently, "Then make it count."

Sam nodded, looking back at the button. There wasn't much she could count on Jazz for. In fact, she never thought that she'd find Danny's overbearing sister as a sort of comfort in harsh times like these. But... really, where would they be without her? If she thought about it long enough, Jazz had been helping them for a while now. As much as she got in the way, she really could be the difference between success or failure. Sam didn't want to think about it much, but if Jazz hadn't been here... Danny would have been stuck as a ghost for good.

Resisting the urge to wrap her arms around herself for comfort, with one final motion, Sam pressed the button. A guttural sound emitted from the tube, as with a frighteningly quick blur, the Fright Knight was sent into the containment unit. The thermos cracked as it happened, finally breaking under the stress of holding such a powerful ghost for such a long period of time.

What happened next wasn't surprising, though it still sent a jolt through the teenagers' spines. The Fright Knight was livid with fury, pounding against the walls of his so-called cell and threatening to shatter the entire thing with only his sword and might. There was something else they had forgotten, though. Sam and Tucker had been counting on the Fright Knight's power; they'd prepared as much as they could to do this quickly before he could escape. But they'd forgotten... they'd forgotten the horse.

A sound that could only be classified as a screech erupted from the creature as it reared back from within the trap, slamming its hooves against the wall in tune with its master's sword swipes. The trio hadn't counted on more than the Fright Knight, but they should have remembered. Now, they'd run out of time in a matter of seconds.

"Sam! What do we do?" called Tucker desperately. The darker skinned boy was at a loss. Sam seemed to be thinking, looking back and forth around the lab. "I don't know," she said eventually, desperation crossing her expression as well. "We were supposed to have more time..." The sadness in her eyes was evident. She knew they couldn't help Danny on their own now. If the Fright Knight escaped, not only would they be in mortal danger, but Danny would have no chance of normalcy again.

All they'd wanted to do was get rid of the Fright Knight. The only way to do that and save Danny at the same time was to get the sword away from him... but... they hadn't really thought this through enough. They knew that now, and it hit them like a horrible kick in the guts.

A horrible crack resounded through the lab, causing all three teenagers to turn sharply in order to face the containment unit. "Where's the pumpkin, Tucker?!" Jazz shouted, intense worry creeping into her voice. She never took her eyes off the glass across from them. A thin crack was spreading across it, signaling that the Fright Knight's freedom was close at hand.

Tucker called back, not taking his eyes off the thing either, "It was right here! I don't know where the heck it went!"

Sam glared at him. "That pumpkin was our only chance!" Tucker looked ashamed, averting his eyes from his friend even though the situation was becoming dire. Sam shook her head, feeling slightly guilty at accusing Tucker when, really, it was all of their faults. They should have made sure it was still here beforehand. Either way, though, the Fright Knight was going to escape before they'd been completely ready, and Sam really couldn't blame anyone for anything that was happening anymore...

One last deafening crack echoed across the room, as the glass suddenly shattered into innumerable pieces across the floor. The Fright Knight mounted his horse in the precious seconds that followed, and once he had done so, the creature galloped towards the trio at a breakneck speed. They couldn't win this one. Though Sam tried her best to put on a brave face, raising her Fenton wrist-ray at the duo before her, she would be no match by herself. Even with Tucker and Jazz, they couldn't defeat him. They could only ever distract him, and right now, that wasn't enough.

Just before the Fright Knight and his equine partner would have hurtled Sam, seriously injuring her, however, a green ray zapped the two off their feet. Both ghosts fell across the room, attempting to regain their composure and searching for the source of the ray. Though originally, the Fright Knight had been looking for the girl, who had been threatening him with a petty weapon that rested on her wrist, it seemed to be that the source was from someone else. "Impossible," he muttered, glaring at the figure across the room. "You shouldn't be here."

Danny chuckled as loudly as he dared, stepping forward from behind Jazz and walking towards the Fright Knight. "Yeah, I seem to be getting that a lot lately." Though he held his side with one arm, and Danny looked to be worse for the wear - his white hair was somewhat matted, and he had dark circles under his eyes - a smile appeared on the halfa's face. "But yet here I am, alive - well... sorta, anyway - and kicking! The smile turned to a smirk as the Fright Knight stood, staring down the ghost boy with an intense gaze. His sword had fallen across the room, and the only thing standing between him and it was this meddling freak. How was he supposed to fulfill his end of the bargain with Plasmius if this boy refused to submit? He'd have to slash him with his sword again. But... he'd need to get to it first.

The horse behind him was spreading its wings and bringing them back to its body again in irritation, stomping its front hoof on the tile as if daring Danny to continue to challenge them. Behind Danny were his own partners, though they were all human, of course. Sam looked worried, but her face was harsh as she looked at the Fright Knight. Tucker still looked confused, as if he wasn't sure what exactly they were supposed to do from here. "Danny, you shouldn't have gotten up," said Jazz, the one willing to voice and show her concern the most. She could see her little brother sweating, struggling to stay balancing on his feet. And yet, he continued to hold his ground. Ignoring his sister for the moment, Danny sent his own glare straight back to his foe. "You'll have to get past me if you want to reach your sword."

The Fright Knight grinned from beneath his helmet, but it was a sickening sort of smirk. One that could only come from those who had learned to enjoy the pain and suffering of others. "Gladly," he replied, overly confident. There was no way that this child stood any chance against him. None whatsoever.

Just as he was about to charge at the young halfa, however, a blinding light permeated the room. All four teens had to cover their eyes to keep from the initial shock, but just as they lowered their arms, they noticed that both the Fright Knight and his horse were gone. "Where-?" began Tucker, but he stopped himself at the sound of a nervous laugh behind him.

"Was this what you were looking for?" a sudden and yet strikingly familiar voice called.

Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Jazz all snapped their heads around to face the source of the voice. And all four nearly fell to the ground, if for no other reason than pure and unbridled shock. There, standing before them with a melted pumpkin that had been impaled with the Fright Knight's sword was the last person they ever expected to see. His appearance almost mirrored the one of his original, though his hair was tainted with patches of red, and his eyes were almost completely crimson.

Daniel 2.0. Danny's newest clone. He was... _helping_ them?


End file.
